


Castle of Glass

by WhisperingShadowLullabies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (thats a hint), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But Lance is also an Alien gasp, Cute as hell thou, I'm lowkey proud of this so, I'm not going to tag what Lance is so it gets to be a surprise for you and Keith!, Keith's still half Galran, M/M, This is canonly set between episodes 9 and 10 of season 2, but Keith thinks somethings /fishy/, but the team doesn't know about it, is it bad to laugh at your own written banter?, keith's pov, this was for Nanowrimo but guess whats 4 months late
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-03-27 14:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 86,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13882578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperingShadowLullabies/pseuds/WhisperingShadowLullabies
Summary: It starts when Keith overhears Lance speaking a strange language with an old bird woman. Thus, his journey into discovering things he could have never thought possible about the Blue Paladin begins. As he grows closer to Lance, Keith starts to realize everything isn't black and white and his best friend crush might not be the only member of the team that isn't completely human.





	1. Chapter 1: Lance Speaks What?!

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! So this isn't my first fic, but its certainly the longest I've ever attempted! It is my first and only Klance fic since I started this November of 2017 and have been working on it since. This is definitely not a short story so if you're willing to, buckle the fuck up cuz this shit is wild~  
> if you didn't read all the tags, 1.) shame on you and 2.) this is set between episodes 9 and 10 of season 2 so if you are questioning why some things have happened and others haven't- that's why. I did this intentionally so I didn't have to deal with certain things, but do keep in mind this timeline for things like character development and such.  
> Updates Mondays at 5 pm CST (Hopefully)  
> Enjoy! :D

     Keith was one of many talents; diplomacy was not one of them. The seven of them were currently in the Receam District, on one of the planet Dolra’s smaller moons. Apparently the rough surface conditions that flared up around this time every year had them stationed on the swirling green and purple moon. The atmosphere was breathable, if not a little sweet; an hour into breathing it was making the back of Keith’s throat have a taste reminiscent of cotton candy. The table they were gathered around was made out of the dark green planetary rock and the towering pillars around them reminded Keith of the mysterious stone structures from Earth. Sitting at the table, he really tried to care about the alliances they needed to make, but this meeting had started to drag on longer than it necessarily should have. His eyes wandered off of Allura and Shiro’s in-depth conversation about military correspondence with the Dolra leader Kil’laren to the other Paladins. Hunk's eyelids sunk lower and lower, and he looked like he was five ticks from falling asleep on the stone table. Pidge was his only form of restraint, elbowing him in the ribs to speak in hushed tones about calibrating something or other. She pushed the overly-large lenses back up onto her nose before her nimble fingers returned to the small keyboard like device that she had been working on for the entirety of the meeting. What she had been doing no one at the table was sure of, but Keith was sure it was probably hacking into the Dolra’s servers to gain any information that they might withdraw from them. A cloud passed over the brief and far out view of the systems sun, making a sizable impact to the temperature of the small moon. A shiver ran down Keith’s spine as he turned and glared at the disturbance. Another shiver drew his eyes back down to the last member of the team, who had yet to say anything over the course of the few vargas this meeting had taken. However, when Keith’s gaze landed on Lance, all he felt was surprise. The normally boisterous and frankly annoying teen was staring out past the pillars at the rolling fog that covered the moon’s vast violet colored oceanic bodies.

     Part of Keith wasn’t surprised that that’s where his attention was directed as the meeting dragged on; Lance talked about his love for the ocean enough that he could probably write a documentary about it. What really caught his eye though was the saddened look on his face. The corners of his mouth were turned down enough that he looked pained, his eyebrows pulled together. Keith might berate himself for staring for so long later, but it was hard to look away from. Lance was ridiculous, loud-mouthed, flirtatious, and always smiling to please the rest of the team. Keith didn’t use to pay him any heed, ignoring his challenging qualms and teasing nature, but the longer they spent traveling the large expanse of space, the more things there were to notice. He couldn’t speak for the other Paladins, he didn’t doubt Hunk probably knew Lance better than he knew himself, but he was starting to put together the complicated piece that was Lance. For one, he lied. A lot. Never about important things, he was always completely honest about that, but the fundamentals of who he was as a person? Keith doubted even Hunk could unravel that. The more time they spent together, sparring, fighting, or talking, the more empty each of Lance’s smiles became.

     It was like looking into a mirror. Lance just wasn’t happy. Keith used to write it off as a case of homesickness, something he could never truly understand, but there was something distant about it. Keith by no means was openly conversational with the other Paladins, Lance probably the least considering every conversation they held devolved into hateful bickering. But even though his social cues could apparently use some work, he could tell something was wrong. Maybe it really was just homesickness, he could never be sure. He definitely couldn’t just ask Lance about it and even then, what business of it was his? He just couldn’t shake the odd feeling he got from looking at Lance’s glazed over eyes staring blankly at the deep mauve water. Kil’laren stood, his dark robes flowing around him not unlike the mist curling at their feet, his arms outstretched to gather their attention once more. His soft spoken voice was oddly calming, bringing the air of peace that the Dolran race had always held.

     “Paladins, it brings me great pleasure and reassurance that you are willing to aid us in recapturing the empire from the Galra forces. We hope that this Alliance with Dolra can aid you as well. But for now, I believe a break is in order. It seems all this talk has caused some to become weary.” He said with a smile, causing the yellow streaks that ran the length of his elongated face to bunch, his bright yellow irises sparkling with mirth at the sheepish look that Hunk threw his way. The Dolran were a peaceful race, true pacifists, but they had a large supply of medical equipment and resources that could be sent to the freedom fighters that stood with them. Allura had made it very clear that this alliance was necessary. Not that Keith didn’t see it as necessary; diplomatic matters were just extremely boring. His eyes shifted to Lance once more, who hadn’t moved an inch, almost as if he hadn’t heard the Dolran leader at all. He watched as Hunk put a heavy hand on his shoulder and Lance startled, an uneasy smile stretching his features. It looked wrong to see such an expression on his face and Keith didn’t like it one bit.

     “Quit staring you might catch the love bug that way.” Keith flinched as Pidge stood and skipped past, looking back to wink at him before the glare of the stars light made her glasses reflect an almost sinister attitude. He crossed his arms and huffed.

     “I’m not staring.” All he got in reply was a snort and an offhanded wave. He turned back to look, but the rest of the team had scattered as well, Kil’laren left to discuss other matters with the planet’s generals. The mist swirled around his legs as Keith quickly padded down the inlaid stairs to meet a slowly forming crowd at the bottom. A small village of shops expanded from the meeting center. Small hovels seemed to emerge from the moon's surface, dug out and made into different places of merchandise. The chatter filled the air as different aliens filtered in and out of the shops at the central trading hub. Almost immediately he was tackled with excited Dolrans interested in his exciting life as a Paladin of Voltron. He wasn't interested, as he never was, but the clearly young Dolrans, whose yellow eyes were sparkling with joy, made him pause. He crouched down to their level and gave a small smile.

     At his core he doubted he would ever change, but being a part of Voltron made him realize that there was a whole lot more out there that he was now partially responsible for. He had warmed up, Shiro had said so once in a late night discussion. The little Dolrans English was broken, but Keith managed to indulge in their questions of space exploration and harrowing battles. His smile grew at the awed look they shared, small fingers lightly touching his Bayard that he had released for them to see. The mother laughed as they excitedly burst into more questions, more in their language than English. She gave small thanks and ushered them along, no stranger to the Red Paladin’s avoidance towards social interactions. He was thankful, slipping past the other crowd still pestering Shiro and Allura for stories of heroism.

     The village was like any other trading village, shouts of deals and products floated overhead. A particular shop caught his eye; the owner was distinctly not of Dolran race. Their skin a dark navy and no visible sign of an optical functionality, the wide razor sharp smile they gave was jarring. The dim lighting of the shop overshadowed by the hanging cloths spread out giving the shop the appearance of a fortune teller’s hut. Spread out among them, laying on various floating units, was a collection of precious metals and stones. Keith recognized a few from various travels, but some he found to be new and quite beautiful. There were bracelets with stones from Pulain; Keith had always thought the stones from the planet looked like tiger-eye earrings made from crystals from the Balmera’s surface and rings with the emerald-like stones from Jyior that he knew were hard to acquire. This was clearly a shop of rare stones, many that resembled the high priced stones from Earth, and they were priced as such. Keith wasn't a hoarder by any means, but he did have a small collection of trinkets from here and there growing in his room on the castle ship; it was shops like this that made his collection grow. A familiar glint made him turn to find a small shell with a shimmering opal resting inside. A small smile made its way onto his face remembering the many times Lance had said no stone represents the ocean better than opal. The owner somehow sensed his interest and slithered over.

     “I can feel your joy towards that particular piece, yes? Such a rare stone, that one is. It came to me in trade but legend tells me it might be a gem from Earth, nestled in that shell. It was hard to acquire-”

    “I'll take it.” Keith could admit it was probably a rash decision, but something about the stone made him hesitant to leave it in the dealer's hands. Thankful for Pidge’s hot wiring exchange of currency, he transferred the total to the merchant, who was probably a space pirate, and took the shell.

    “Pleasure. I hope the one who it is for loves it as much as you love them.” Keith stopped, his body pulling taut. He turned sharply to glare at the merchant, whose smile only widened. Keith scoffed and stomped off, the shell biting into his palm as he gripped it out of anger. That pirate had no right to make such claims! To go searching through his emotions like that without warrant! He buried them down deeper and breathed out his anger like Shiro had taught him to, easing his grip on the shell.

    He stopped to lean into a slot between mounds, breathing deeply to clear his mind. He opened his fist slowly revealing the small shell in the palm of his hand. The mist curled up his leg as the fading light of the moon’s star made the rounded opal glint a light green and blue. It gave a strange sort of comfort, though if he was perfectly honest he knew why it did. Righting himself, he turned to slip back out of the alley, but stopped when a familiar voice caught his ear. A quick glance found Lance’s folded figure quickly, crouched and talking to a short older woman with what looked like wings twice her size out-folding from her lower back. She seemed to appreciate the gesture speaking eye to eye with Lance. Keith was about to make a move to join when his brain caught up to his legs. He halted to listen.

    “ _Are you from Sora?”_  Keith’s eyes widened. Lance was not speaking English. In fact, he wasn’t speaking any language that he recognized from any of the systems that they had visited. It was light and sounded airy, almost like it was being whistled. It sounded not unlike a weird mixture of bird calls. Keith absently wondered when he might have had the time to learn a new language and which one he was speaking. To his surprise, the old woman laughed.

    “ _Yes, it’s good to see a familiar face among all these Dolrans. It’s good to see you Layance, though I almost didn’t recognize you with that haircut!”_  She said his name funny, though it could be written off as it being spoken in the odd language. He watched the exchange with interest, readying to step in when Lance inevitably fucked something up and said something offensive to the poor old woman. A pure smile made its way onto Lance’s face, his eyes sparkling with something that Keith hadn’t seen in the recent months.

 _“And it is good to see you as well, may-Yanna. I have to ask though, why so far from home? Is everything alright?”_ Keith’s brows furrowed as an increasing sense of worry took over Lance’s features. The woman took his hands into hers, which appeared to be more like the talons of a bird, and she gave a weak smile.

 _“My grandson, Calvjin, has fallen ill and I came here in search for the needed ailment, but it is far too expensive. I was on my way back to the loading platforms when you arrived at the center.”_ Keith had no idea what they were speaking about, but the look of sudden determination that overtook Lance was something he could pinpoint anywhere. Before Keith could intervene and stop whatever Lance was about to do, he had stood and taken the woman’s hand in his own, his body giving off an air of respect not unlike their very own princess.

 _“Lead the way, may-Yanna. Let’s go and get the treatment that Calvjin needs!”_ A familiar sense of joy and excitement from the other made both the beholder and the watcher smile. Keith hadn’t seen Lance so much like his original self in so long it was hard not to smile at. He had missed it, despite it all. There was something about seeing Lance smile that left him feeling soft inside. He used to hold it to weakness, but he realized when forming Voltron, when he let that soft part of himself let loose he could feel the minds of his teammates so much better, and ended up helping in battle much more than he had previously. He had also realized that none of his other teammates could make him smile like Lance could; rival or not. There was just something about him. Pidge had mentioned offhandedly once it was because he was “in love!” but he didn’t buy that. He would know if he was in love, right?

     Keith shook the feeling off and began to slink around the buildings and commoners to keep up with the two. He realized that this was probably categorized as spying, but the whole confrontation left him with more and more questions. He almost slammed into someone when the pair stopped at a small medicine shop. He huffed to himself; of course Lance would learn another language and use it to help people out of the goodness of his heart. He watched as the woman stuttered in shock when Lance asked her something else. She pointed at a particular ointment, but grabbed his arm and shook her head. He smiled and gently took her hand in his, giving her a genuine smile, and turned to pay for the ointment. Keith could only catch a few words and gestures from his spot he had turned to hide, but it sounded like she was near tears in thankfulness.

     “Swoowei, Layance, swoowei!” She scuttled off as Lance waved at her retreating figure. The good thing about being in space was that no matter the language, a thank you was always translatable. Keith smiled and walked over to Lance, who was still waving, his smiling looking weaker the further she got out. He bumped their shoulders, startling him a little, but a bit of his smile returned.

     “Yo, mullet.” Keith crossed his arms as a smirk fought his way onto his features.

     “Lance.” he contemplated asking about who the old woman was, but decided against it; knowing it was probably a subject that Lance would keep quiet about. Though, he wasn’t one to talk about keeping things locked away inside himself. “Doing some light shopping then?” Lance turned to him surprised at the question.

     “Nah, just talking to the locals. They’re all very interesting, not too many hot babes though.” Keith’s smirk down-turned at the blatant call to Lance’s flirtatious tendencies. He couldn’t explain it, but the more time wore on, the more Lance’s advances towards every available and tasteful alien ticked Keith off.

     “Clearly they have good taste and stay far away from you.” Lance’s sputtering and offended gasp brought a small huff of laughter from Keith. He clasped Lance on the shoulder and gave a small, but genuine smile. “It was good of you to help that old woman out.” Lance’s eyes widened by a factor so minuscule in fear that to anyone else, it would look like he hadn’t reacted at all. “Or, that’s what I thought I saw; I was pretty far out.” The tension leaked out of his shoulders and he gave a wide smile that reached the tips of his eyes.

     “She needed some ointment for her grandson, but couldn’t afford it; it was the least that I could do.” Keith nodded with a smile and started walking back towards where Red was waiting to return to the Castle-ship.

     “I think I’ll meander some more, don’t leave without me!” Keith waved an absent hand back at him, but his mission was clear. The trip back to Red was short, the entrance at the base of her neck opening readily from him. A questioning rumble was sent through their shared conscious towards his sudden determination and concern. He sent positive waves back at her and she seemed compliant enough to start up and began the flight back up to the castle, though her questioning probing made Keith sigh. She let out a growl and he glared at the dashboard.

     “It’s nothing; I’m just worried about Lance.” His mind was suddenly filled with images of the Blue Paladin and his lion, worry spiking. He took note and tried to sooth her quickly. “No, no; he’s fine- I think. Just one more secret that he’s been keeping that I want to get to the bottom of. Just when I think I’ve figured something out he throws another wild card in. One of these days I might just tie his sorry ass to a chair and make him spill.” Red’s laughter rang in his ears as he walked out onto the hanger. It seemed that he and Lance had been the only ones left on the moon. He reached into his pocket and felt the shell inside, instantly feeling better. He squared his shoulders and walked towards the lounging area, where the others were all aimlessly laying around. Pidge was practically on top of Hunk, her whole body draped over his stomach as she scrolled on her computer. Hunk was reading something, a few words here and there that sounded technical and suspiciously like code. The rest were absent, but that worked in his favor as he strolled over and, as gracefully as one could, flopped on the large rounded lounge couch. Hunk looked up briefly, waved, and went back to reading. Keith fiddled with the shell in his pocket trying to come up with a way to bring up the topic of Lance _speaking another language_ when Hunk sighed and gave him a flat look.

     “Alright what’s with you. You’re acting all twitchy over there and I can’t focus when you act like that. What do you wanna talk about?” Pidge nodded, but didn’t look up from her work. Keith looked down before taking a deep breath.

     “It’s about Lance.” Pidge snorted.

     “It’s always about Lance with you. Though to be fair he talks a lot about you too.” Keith’s eyes moved to her in surprise.

     “Wait, he does? Wait, Never mind that’s not what I-” He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Look. Hunk you know Lance pretty well, right?” Hunk nodded and closed his book, placing it down next to him.

     “Yeah, we’re like the best of buds. Why? Is something wrong with him?” A panicked edge clawed its way into Hunk’s form, his body tensing enough to jostle Pidge. Keith put his arms up in mock-surrender.

     “Whoa, hey now, he’s fine. I just- Well earlier I caught him talking to this old bird woman and,” Hunk’s now more panicked look made him sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. “No, not like that. God no. The point is, he wasn’t speaking English.” He looked up to find blank looks from now both Hunk and Pidge. Three ticks of silence passed before they both tilted their head in question.

     “Are you sure?” Hunk’s innocent question sent him reeling. The light reflected off of Pidge’s glasses before she burst out laughing.

     “Are we talking about the same Lance here? Are you seriously asking if _Lance,_ in his free time, learned an alien language well enough to have a casual conversation with one. Please stop making me laugh!” She dissolved into a fit of giggles and Hunk pushed her off. Keith groaned and slid further down the couch.

     “You know what? Forget I asked.” He moved to stand, but stopped when Hunk’s hand shot out.

     “No, Keith we’re sorry!” He elbowed Pidge. “It’s just that, well, Lance pretty much keeps to himself nowadays. I know he misses home a lot so I guess it is possible that he learned a language in his free time… what did it sound like? Anything you recognized?” Keith sighed and sat back down.

     “That’s just it; I didn’t recognize it at all. It was all weird and whistle-y. I honestly thought he was butchering it, but the old woman he was speaking with clearly understood. I thought you might know; you know him better than I do.” Hunk nodded at that, rubbing his chin.

     “Well now that you mention it, sometimes at night, when we shared a room at the Garrison, he would mumble really weird things in his sleep. Sounded like words, but all garble-y, though that wouldn’t really make sense, considering that was before we got sent spiraling into space to fight in an intergalactic space war…”

     “Do you remember any of the phrases? I could make an algorithm to search the Altean language database for familiar sounds, since we have no way of knowing how to spell it.” Keith nodded. It seemed like a good idea as any that might get him closer to figuring out what was wrong with Lance. Hunk raised his hand tentatively.

     “Hold on, why can’t we just ask Lance about it?” Pidge and Keith rolled their eyes at the same time.

     “Hunk, we all know he would feign innocence and pretend to have no idea about it.” Keith nodded and leaned to cross his arms to draw attention away from the worry pinching his features.

     “Plus, he seemed to panic when I mentioned seeing him talk to the woman. I don’t think it’s something he wants us to know about; for some reason.” Hunk gave a side glance to Pidge who smiled deviously, but shook her head.

     “Well, believe it or not he talks to you now more a days than us, so you might have a better chance at getting him to open up to you.” Pidge’s smile widened at the surprised look that Keith gave her. She laughed softly, her shoulders hunching as she muttered _idiots_ under her breath. “He likes you dumbass.” Keith sputtered before getting up sharply glaring at her the whole way.


	2. Chapter 2: Don't Make it Awkward-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~OwO~!! Thank you so much for the positive comments!! As a present have the next chapter early! (and not totally because I have work during the usual update timeeee) But seriously, Thank you. you're the reason that I keep writing. I know that there has been some nasty discourse in the Fandom these past few days and I will state, I don't condone the actions of the antis and what they have done towards the voice actors and the Dreamworks staff and I ask you to be proactive to speak out against it. I love Klance, but that does not mean I should be shitty towards other ships. Everyone should be valid in what they see. Bottom line: don't be shitty. That aside,  
> Enjoy!

     “I did not come to talk about my  _ feelings.  _ I came because I’m worried about Lance. As an important member of this team, if he’s not mentally stable enough to handle the strain of forming Voltron, we could potentially be jeopardizing the mission.” Pidge snorted, but pushed her laptop towards him. 

     “Sure the mission is what’s jeopardized. Talk into that; what you remember hearing as best you can. I’ll see what I can do.” He nodded minutely, clearly still ticked off, but glad for the help nonetheless. He thought back but all he could solidly remember was the exclamation of thanks. 

     “Shwoo-wee” Keith winced at his botched pronunciation as he handed the computer back to Pidge. “I’m pretty sure it means the equivalent to thank you if that helps.” She nodded but didn’t say anything more, suddenly typing at a breakneck speed. She was probably lost to the rest of the team for the remainder of the night. Keith was thankful, but for now he needed to go and blow off some steam. He’d been sitting all day doing nothing and he was getting restless. 

     He didn’t know how long he had been on the training deck, but he was drenched in sweat, the level four guardian paused and awaiting orders. He had taken a break to catch his breath and re-hydrate, but now that he was stopped, he realized how tired he was. He didn’t notice the doors sliding open or the sudden intake of breath from the intruder. He grabbed his towel to wipe his face off, finally noticing the figure standing awkwardly off to the side. Lance stood, a faint blush on his cheeks. Keith raised an eyebrow when he didn’t immediately start talking his ear off. 

     “You going to keep standing there staring like an idiot, or did you need something?”  Lance opened and closed his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. A small smile broke out over Keith’s face; screw him he was in a good mood.

     “I-it was just hard to recognize you for a second there, with your big forehead sticking out and the mullet! Where has it gone! Oh woe is me!” He faked swooning and Keith had to laugh a little at his ridiculousness. He turned and flicked the back of his ponytail.

     “Can’t expect me to train with my hair all over the place, that’s just unethical.” He smirked as Lance gulped, his eyes zeroed in on the small tail at the base of his neck. He seemed to shake himself out of whatever funk he had gotten himself into, snorting and striking a defensive pose.

     “Allura and Coran found some weird old Altean movie that they want to watch in the lounge claiming that it is a ‘good bonding activity for the whole team.’ Go get cleaned up and hurry to the lounge; if I’m suffering through this so are you hot stuff!” He seemed to process what he had said and his whole face turned a pleasing shade of red. He bolted before Keith could form a response, leaving him standing in the middle of the training deck confused and flustered. He shook it off, heading for his room to shower. He flicked the hair clip out of his bangs, which flopped back annoyingly onto his sweat dried forehead. He pulled the ponytail out and undressed quickly, lest he fall asleep in the shower. He was practically dead on his feet he realized. He had been running on few hours as it is, but after a long boring day of nothing and extra training, he was ready to sleep. 

     He finished and dried off, slipping one of his tee-shirts back on and grabbing a pair of sweatpants that Lance had given to him in case of situations like this claiming that “No one should wear  _ jeans  _ to a slumber party!” he yawned as he walked back down to the lounge, not surprised to find everyone had gathered to cover the room with blankets and pillows. Hunk was currently trying to tie a corner of one of the blankets to two dining room chairs that had been stacked upon each other. He yelled at Pidge to get more chairs to complete the blanket fort. It was a confusing notion that Keith didn’t fully understand, but it had happened enough before, he knew not to question it anymore. Allura was attempting to plug in the weird drive that must hold the “movie” before Pidge squawked and pushed her aside, yelling at Shiro to go get the chairs for Hunk. It was a mess. He sagged into the couch and closed his eyes. His body was exhausted but his mind was restless still caught on Lance’s earlier comment. Had that been a compliment or just Lance being Lance? He admitted with small defeat that he secretly hoped it hadn’t been the latter. He silently berated himself for even considering the thought of Lance actually being romantically interested in him. They were fighting an intergalactic war; there wasn’t time for relationships, especially fantasizing about those that were so highly unlikely to happen. The worst part about it was that it was  _ Lance. _ Even if he did like him in any shape or form; he would know about it. Lance wasn’t subtle about who he found attractive, that much was certain. If he liked Keith however, he feared that their so called rivalry would stop Lance from pursuing anything of the sort. They were suppose to hate each other after all. He opened his eyes when someone flopped down next to him at an uncomfortably close proximity. Speak of the devil. Lance held out a bowl filled with strange blue beans.

     “I have no idea what these are, but Hunk found them and they taste kind of like if popcorn and candy corn had a weird love child.” He gave Lance a look of disgust, but grabbed a handful of the beans anyways. He made a face, appalled that he hadn’t been wrong in their description and he felt weird eating them; that being said they both kept munching on them. He eyed Lance and found him looking at him with a kind of disappointed look on his face.

     “What?” Lance seemed to be a little startled that Keith had called him out on the staring and pouted.

     “You took the ponytail out. You should wear your hair like that more often.” Keith gave him a blank look.

     “Why?” Lance stuck out a finger and poked him in the back of the neck causing him spaz and slap his hand away. He glared at him, rubbing the back of his neck.

     “Gets rid of that awful mullet that way!” Keith grabbed the bowl and pushed him off the couch, his train of giggles continuing until he hit the floor with a loud thud. “Hey! Rude!” He climbed back up and sat in the same spot, if not closer than before and stole the bowl of beans back. Keith was about to take the bowl back in spite when a heavy piece of cloth fell on top of them, startling them both. Lance lifted the blanket to glare at Shiro, who stood proudly in front of them. 

     “No fighting at team movie nights you two.” Keith grumbled, but pushed the blanket over his head so it rested across both their shoulders. He looked pleased before walking off to sit on the floor next to Allura and Coran. Lance let out a puff of air.

     “Fun sucker.” It was quiet, said under his breath, but Keith heard it nonetheless. He let out a huff of laughter, a hint of a smile on his face. Lance looked sharply at him, but started laughing as well. They dissolved into giggles, but Keith’s smile didn’t shrink. Lance was looking at him with that certain sparkle in his eyes. He was happy and Keith was the cause. A sort of unbridled joy came from the sight and his breath caught. The lights suddenly dimmed, startling them both out of their accidental staring match. They both looked away, but Keith didn’t miss the fact that Lance’s face had heated up same as his own. Maybe it wasn’t too far off to think that Lance did like him at least a little. The thought made his stomach feel funny and his cheeks to redden more. 

     The movie started and to their dismay, was in Altean unsurprisingly. Pidge put on the subtitles, able to roughly read it to give context when Hunk asked her questions, all too afraid to speak up to the two Alteans who were thoroughly enjoying it. It was clearly some sort of romantic comedy, but it was hard to focus on it when Keith’s surprise grew to Lance laughing along with Allura and Coran. He had timed it to see if he was watching them to make sure he laughed at the same time, but his eyes never left the small projector screen they had set up. Stranger, was the fact that his eyes weren’t tracking the words, but the characters. Did Lance know Altean too? Keith felt like he should have been more shocked, but after what had happened earlier that day, Lance knowing more than just English seemed fact at this point. Logically, it made sense that if he was going to start learning Alien languages, that he’d learn Altean first, but it still begged the question as to the second (there was no doubt in Keith’s mind now that he definitely wasn’t speaking gibberish to that old alien bird woman.) He hoped that Pidge could manage to figure it out because it was only a matter of time before Keith snapped and asked Lance himself. 

     The movie wore on, being much longer than any Earth movie, and between the two of them, Keith and Lance had eaten all the the popcorn beans. Keith’s body began to sag into the couch more, the blanket tugging on his shoulders. He pulled it back up making Lance to lurch a little closer. It was unintentional, but tired Keith was not one to let an opportunity go to waste. He snuggled so that their sides lined up nicely. His body felt tingly and that warm feeling in his stomach moved to his face. He could tell Lance had looked over at him, no doubt surprised at the action, but Keith kept his eyes on the screen. He was sure if he looked into Lance’s eyes now he wouldn’t be able to look away. He felt Lance snuggle back against him and a soft smile lit up his face. It was nice; to relax and not worry about impending doom, just snuggling on the couch watching some foreign movie. Part of him wished that this was just them, home on Earth, no Voltron. He hoped that maybe one day they could return for good; however unlikely that goal really was. 

     The warm feeling in his body had spread to his eyelids, which were threatening to slide closed. He figured that on any other day he might have fought it, but he was so damn tired of fighting. Fighting Zarkon, fighting Galra, fighting himself; fighting Lance. His eyes fell closed and he slumped further, vaguely knowing that his head had lolled onto Lance’s shoulder, but it was warm and he was comfy. He didn’t know when his feet had landed up on the couch as well, but he was practically in a ball under the half of the blanket he had. He snuggled closer up to Lance, not bashful with his wants being in a delirious from lack of sleep. He felt Lance tense before relaxing. He vaguely felt Lance’s arms wrapping around him pulling him closer before he blacked out into a blissful sleep. 

     Keith groaned lifting his arm to rub at his eyes that had sealed shut. He was groggy and his limbs felt like led. His body was warm enough to be borderline hot, and his other arm pricked with pins and needles. He opened his eyes slowly to see what had him stuck to the couch and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw what it was. Lance was curled up against him, his arm still wrapped around Keith’s middle, small puffs of breath leaving his mouth. Keith realized the reason he could feel the little puffs of breath was because  _ their faces were inches apart. _ His heart was thundering in his chest loud enough he was almost positive that it would wake Lance up. He tried not to tense up, but it was hard because holy shit they had fallen asleep together on the couch and were currently intertwined. This was not helping in the whole “don’t let your crush on Lance get out of hand” though considering Pidge had figured him out, it was only a matter of time. Mental panic aside of potentially awkward team dynamics, Keith tried to keep his breathing in check and stopped moving to actually take a minute to look. He was never one for self-indulgent matters, but Lance was right there and God, he was beautiful. Up this close Keith could see the small specks of freckles that ran just over the bridge of his nose. His lashes were long and even in the dim light of the room his face shimmered with this sort of underlying sparkle. Keith had noticed his face’s iridescent properties whenever they were on a planet with a close star, but to see it in the light neon blue of the castle lights was something else. Tentatively, before he could stop himself, his arm was reaching up to brush one of the longer strands of hair that rested on the side of his face back. Keith marveled in their close proximity, his hand still gently resting near Lance’s face, a small smile beginning to form on his face. There was a fluttering of lashes and suddenly Keith was staring into Lance’s eyes. Absently he was reminded of the small shell still hidden in his jacket pocket as he looked into the oceans of Lance’s eyes. He would think back later about how cliché the whole situation was, but right now he was so caught up in taking in the almost ethereal beauty that was Lance. The moment dragged on for far too many ticks and as they went by Lance’s face grew to an unhealthy shade of crimson. A breath was taken and then Lance was leaping back, out of his arms, a large squeal breaking the silence of the room. He curled into a ball and covered his face with his hands as Keith’s body tensed up from the sudden lack of warmth. Looking at Lance freaking out made him start to freak out, his whole face heating up as Lance mumbled into his hands. A sudden bout of laughter startled them both.

     “Oh my god! I wish you could see your faces because you look positively ridiculous right now! Oh man I would pay money to see that again! Wait the cameras! I have it on film!” Pidge stumbled to run towards her computer still laughing, causing the others who were still asleep to stir. 

     “Pidge no! Oh Gods, this is so embarrassing!” Lance gave up his plan to go after her and collapsed onto the couch again. Keith was on-slotted with both first and second hand embarrassment for the both of them. He crossed his arms as a displeased frown found its way back on his face. He fought back the heart hurt of seeing Lance so embarrassed at the sight of waking up in such a compromising position with him. He wanted to scoff almost. It had been foolish dreaming thus far, and he had gone and messed up the thin line that their friendship rested upon again. He was back to square one of silently trying to destroy the overwhelming crush on the blue paladin. His frown deepened and he got up from the couch, swiftly walking back to his room to get cleaned up. If he had looked back he would have seen worried look that Lance sent his way. 

     They didn’t talk about it. For once, Lance’s silence was welcome as the awkward air that charged around them continued to grow. The other Paladins had noticed, but whatever Lance had said to Pidge to make keep her mouth shut about the whole incident had worked. So far it hadn’t affected much as the rest of the week they went from planet to planet gaining allies. It wasn’t until a peaceful meeting on a planet called Joyron was interrupted by a sudden Galra attack that it became a real problem. 

     “Lance, you’ve got at least five flanking your left side! Pidge keep that ion cannon away from the surface of the planet! I need help over here!” Shiro screamed orders at the rest of them as they attempted to break up the forces. It was going okay with the small fleet of one manned ships they were attacking, but a cruiser showed up and was causing major damage to the structural integrity of the planet’s center. Keith took out good chunk of the ones trailing Lance, rebounding off of Hunk to shoot towards Shiro, who was heading for the main ship. Just as Pidge managed to take out the cannon another cruiser warped in, closer to the planet than the other. Swears rang out across the coms and there was a grunt from their leader. “Alright team, let’s finish this before it gets any worse. Form Voltron!” they had all been expecting the order, their minds already calm and ready to connect. Keith could tell he was distracted, but he let the thoughts fade into the background as the sounds of battle raged on around them. Voltron formed, the unit linked and the task was clear. Uncertainties floated through the link, but from which of the five it was was unclear. Their link buzzed with an unwelcome energy as they made quick work of the two cruisers, just destroying them when their minds started pulling apart. A shared confusion was the last thing they held together before a collective growl made Shiro call for them to disband. The Lions broke and destroyed the last bit of the small Galra fleet. No one spoke after the task was done; even without the link it was clear that Shiro was pissed. Nothing like that had happened since they first started forming Voltron all those months ago. They returned to the surface to ensure the safety of its inhabitants, small worm like creatures with limited intelligence but had connections to many other systems and could aid in gaining their alliance. The team didn’t speak to one another until the lions were all safely back in the hanger. Allura and Coran waited in the control room, anxious to find out what had happened.

     “Are you all alright? Did something happen? Are the Lions safe?” Shiro nodded at her before turning to the rest of them.

     “What the hell was that? Our connection hasn’t been that unstable in months! Which one of you was it? I-” He took a deep breath, letting the tension out of his shoulders and giving a deep sigh. “I’m not angry I just need to know what happened so it never happens again.” For a few seconds no one said anything, the silence pulling taut.

     “It was me.”

     Keith and Lance looked at each other in surprise when they both spoke at the same time. Hunk threw his arms up in mock-surrender and backed up, Pidge looking critically at them both. Shiro’s eyebrows pulled together as he crossed his arms, looking pointedly at them waiting for an explanation. They stared at each other before Lance let out a sigh. 

     “We had a bit of a squabble, but it’s fine- we’re over it already! Right Keith, buddy, we’re cool?” Keith’s mouth formed into a tight line and he made no move to respond. By all definitions they were not “cool” but he could stand that over a lecture from Shiro. It was just so hard because he was so  _ angry.  _ What had happened was not a “squabble” by any means of the word. They had had a bonding moment so to speak and  _ again  _ Lance had decided to pretend like it never happened. Keith’s nails bit into his palms as he clenched his hands into fists so he wouldn’t lash out and beat the living shit out of Lance like he wanted too at the moment. Why? What was it about him that made Lance want to push him so far to the edge that he wanted to take his so called rival and push him off? Why couldn’t they be friends? What was the point in letting his heart even play with the possibility of more when they couldn’t even manage to keep it together long enough to form Voltron? He was seething on the inside, but on the outside he looked as indifferent and moody as he always did. He was seconds from grabbing Lance by the collar and pulling him to actually talk about things, when Lance turned to him. His face made him stop. 

     Fear. It was laced into the tightness behind his eyes and the pull of his eyebrows. He could tell. Lance was afraid of what Shiro would do if he found out that this went so much deeper than a mere petty fight. Afraid of what Keith would do; say. He had been afraid of what happened next after they woke up wrapped in each other’s arms. The anger deflated from his body and slowly he closed his eyes and let out a breath as his fists uncurled.

     “It’s not ‘cool’ yet, but we’re making progress to ensure something like that never happens again. I’m sorry on the behalf of both of us that we let it get that bad in the first place.” Keith let his arms drop from their defensive stance and Shiro sighed. Lance’s smile wobbled as he looked between Shiro and Keith. 

     “Fine; but get it sorted out quickly. We cannot afford to be fighting battles with each other off the field.” Shiro let his arms drop and he walked over to join the other Paladins, who had backed far enough away to let them hold a more private conversation. A nervous laugh pulled Keith’s attention back to the Blue Paladin who was rubbing the back of his neck, his smile looking more pained the longer Keith looked at it. He squared his shoulders. Enough was enough. He had let this fester for a week now and it ended up destroying the one thing he didn’t want to be affected by his affairs of the heart. Before he could change his mind and spend the rest of the day in the training room attacking guardians whose level was far above his own, he grabbed Lance by the wrist and began dragging him towards his room. Lance let out an undignified squawk, but didn’t hold out much resistance, trailing behind and keeping his mouth shut. Keith silently wished that this conversation could have happened later, when they were out of the heavy Paladin armor, but part of him was still bubbling with anxious energy and underlying anger.


	3. Chapter 3: Dude, you're purple!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's traveling and is on a great vaca??!! Guess what that means for you??!! You get the chapter early!!! I like this one a lot- it makes me giggle. Also big thanks to my girlfriend for being my beta :3 Shes the best ever. V cute.   
> Okay! Go enjoy the chapter!  
> <3

     The door to his room slid closed and Keith took a moment to breathe, his back still turned to Lance who had thankfully kept quiet. There was a tense air to the room. It seemed neither one of them wanted to start the conversation that they had been so deliberately avoiding. Keith fiddled with the hidden clasp on his left vambrace before removing it completely, the cold air of the room hitting his lightly covered forearm and causing goosebumps to rise. He turned around, his eyes glued to the piece of armor and spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. 

     “Listen. What happened today was our fault and that can not happen again.” He looked up to find Lance’s eyes locked onto his own. There was worry in the tension of his mouth and panic in his eyes. Keith didn’t like how cold the oceans in his eyes had become. “What happened last week- I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did, but we can’t just push this under the rug like we always do.” He closed his eyes and took a moment. Getting angry wasn’t going to help this at all. He moved to sit down on the bed and dropped the piece of armor. Lance moved to carefully sit down next to him. He was close and yet it felt like there were valleys between them. It looked like Lance was ticked at the rug comment before he considered it and his shoulders sagged.

     “Yeah I guess I do do that quite a bit, don’t I?” He sighed before he looked up sharply at Keith. “But, why are you sorry? It was my fault- per usual- I’m sorry that I made this such a mess. It’s just that, well, I don’t know I panicked, because I thought Pidge was going to share that footage and I figured that it wasn’t something that you wanted the others to see. But once I got her to promise not to spill, you were gone. And then you were angry and I didn’t know what I had done, but I figured that it was the sleeping thing- which is totally warranted by the way- but then I didn’t know what I could even say about it, so I guess I’m sorry I really fucked up again.” Keith eyes widened, not so unfamiliar from the same sort of train of self-deprecating thoughts. He pulled at the clasps on the other vambrace, pulling it off slowly, choosing his next words carefully.

      “I- I don’t know how to talk about this sort of thing, but we can’t operate as a team if we can’t even manage to be friends without ruining it after every slip up; and don’t get me wrong that’s not just on you, it’s on me too.” Hurt and surprise took over Lance’s features.

     “Wait, are we not friends?” The desperation and dread in his voice made Keith scramble to fix this. God, he was making it  _ worse _ . 

     “We are friends! You just make it so difficult for me to understand what you want from me. I’m not good at people but I know that you’re not… okay. And I know that I’m a factor, but you are making it so much harder to help when you refuse to talk to me, or anyone for that matter,” He knew he was straying away from the issue at hand, but now that he had started all of his thoughts, his fears were rushing out. “You are upset and you keep putting walls up and pretending to be alright; but you’re not! For the second time in my life I have found someone I care about and I can’t lose you!” He hadn’t realized he had started shaking but now he couldn’t seem to stop. His voice was quiet and wobbly as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t lose you too. Especially not to your own mind.” He wrapped his arms tightly around himself and he leaned trying to put distance between them. The familiar sting in his eyes was all the warning he got. He shut them tighter and wallowed in the silence of the room. He hadn’t meant to say all of that. He had just wanted to tell Lance to shape his shit up and forego the awkward dance they had been skating for the past week. If he was honest it had been going on for much longer; months even. Keith’s heart’s wants aside, why couldn’t they just be friends? Why did Lance have to make everything so convoluted and difficult by being so  _ Lance. _

     “Keith I-” He stopped. Keith turned to look at him, ignoring the outstretched hand that was reaching for him, instead looking directly at him, trying to blink back the tears that were trying to fall. His voice still shook but he straightened up and tried to take some of that fake confidence Lance always had.

     “Just tell me what’s wrong.” The anguish written on his face was something he had never wanted anyone on the team to see, least of all Lance. He was supposed to be strong and indifferent, the rebellious one on the team that was all “shoot first ask questions later” but he was hurt. Shiro was the only one who he had trusted unconditionally, but even he had been keeping secrets from him. Who was he supposed to turn to when he had doubts, concerns? A part of him realized that perhaps Lance had felt the same, unable to find someone to turn to in his distress. His voice was barely above a whisper now. “Let me help you.” 

     That was all it took apparently. Lance’s face scrunched up painfully and Keith hesitantly uncurled his arms from around himself to reach out towards him. There was half a second of consideration before Lance leaned over and wrapped himself around Keith, burying his head into his neck. Their chest plates clacked loudly in the stifling silence of the room. Keith could feel the tears that fell onto the under-layer of his suit and it took all his willpower to not let himself cry as well. He placed one hand on his back and one on the back of his neck, cradling it lightly. Lance held on tighter and he prayed to whatever deity hailed above to help him. 

     He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, holding almost painfully onto each other, but Keith let out a breath that he felt like he had been holding for months. Lance pulled away slowly, laughing a little as he wiped his eyes. Keith smiled and put an arm on his shoulder.

     “Let’s change and then do you wanna talk about it?” He said it with timidness, afraid to break what they had just built. Lance seemed uncertain still, but he nodded and got up, turning to look at Keith just as the door opened.

     “Keith- thanks for this, I really appreciate it.” Keith’s mouth stretched into a honest smile and Lance’s eyes lit up as a small smile wormed its way onto his face. He left swiftly and Keith practically threw the rest of his armor in haste to get out of uniform. He found the sweatpants and slipped them back on almost nostalgically. He wondered about putting his jacket on but decided against it, but he paused to take the small shell out of the pocket nonetheless. He flopped back on the bed and was staring into the now mostly blue opal when there was a tentative knock on his door. He made a hum of affirmative and Lance shuffled in slowly, almost as if he was afraid Keith would back out and send him away. Keith looked expectantly at him, and he hurried over to sit down next to him. They didn’t say anything for a while, both unsure how to approach such a sensitive topic. Lance seemed to notice the small shell Keith was still holding and held his hand out.

     “Can I?” Keith nodded and carefully handed it over. Lance turned it this way and that, marveling at the small stone inside.

     “I got it from some space pirate on Dolra. It made me think about what you said about opals looking like the ocean.”  _ It reminded me of you  _ was unspoken but Keith was sure Lance might have picked up on it based on his reaction. His eyes widened, sparkling, and a wide grin broke out on his face. 

     “I can’t believe you remember that! That was so long ago; you know, before everything started going to shit.” He laughed and handed it back, his smile growing smaller, more longingly. “My mom told me that a long time ago. I think of her every time I see the ocean. I started keeping a collection of opals so I would never forget her.” Keith turned to look sharply at Lance, his grip on the shell growing tighter. 

     “Lance I’m sorry-” He shook it off, the sad smile still on his face.

     “I miss them you know, my family, a lot. I know I talk about how I miss them all the time, but sometimes the overwhelming possibility that I’ll never see them again and they’ll never know what became of me- well it hurts.” Lance rubbed his thumbs together and fell backwards onto the bed. His eyes were distant; remembering.

     “Tell me what you miss.” Keith slowly laid down so they were side by side, looking at the ceiling of the bunk. He looked over to see Lance close his eyes, his soft smile glowing in the low setting lighting of the room. 

     “Them. The feeling of belonging among so many. The sounds of laughter and the smell of fresh grass. The vast sparkling ocean, the beach at night. The feeling of flying with my siblings at the top of a mountain. Target practice, birthdays, hidden adventures to sparkling caves. Cuddle piles and lullabies. Campfires and the feeling of  _ peace.  _ I miss what it feels like to wake up and not think about if this day could be my last.” Keith realized that this went so much further than just homesickness; it was missing security. He felt a new sort of respect for the Blue Paladin and he felt his heart hurt because he did know what that was like. The way he spoke about it was like he already knew he had lost them. He had accepted that he wasn’t going to see them ever again.

     “You are going to see them again. That I swear on my life.” The words were tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them, but he knew he would say it a million times over to see the look on Lance’s face. He had turned to look at him with such hope and pure untapped joy. Keith’s breath caught at the sight, and he smiled with determination making Lance laugh, his shoulders shaking enough to bump theirs together. The longer pieces of his hair fell onto the mattress and Keith itched to touch it, but he couldn’t risk ruining everything again. 

     “Oh man I can’t imagine what would happen if they met you! You think I make fun of your hair, Margret would actually cut it off! Miguel and Claire would probably fight over you- they’re my nephew and niece and the youngest- about what you would play as in the little theatrical scenes they like to put on…” He rambled on and on about all of his family members, excitingly talking about what would happen if they ever met him and the others. Keith’s heart swelled and he was painfully reminded of what he could never have. He would try to stay strong for Lance’s sake, but God, his heart hurt would live on in infamy. Lance’s voice was lulling, getting softer as time wore on, and Keith closed his eyes to listen to the tales of infamous pranks and moonlit swims. He gave in to this small window of contentment. He allowed himself to think about what it must be like to be back on Earth surrounded by family. His mind got caught on one image in particular though. Him and Lance alone on the beach at night, looking at the stars high above with the sloshing sounds of the ocean waves in the background. Lance’s face would glow in the light of the moon, his brilliant smile shining as bright as a star itself. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

     He wasn’t sure how they had done it, but they had done it again. When Keith had opened his eyes the next morning he was face to face with Lance, both of them managing to get horizontal on his bed and were currently tangled up in each other. Keith knew that if he didn’t move it was going to be awkward again, but he was so warm and he really didn’t want to. He closed his eye and snuggled closer, reveling in his limited time of indulgence. A breathy chuckle startled him a little and he pulled back to glare at the Blue Paladin. He was smiling at him, lifting a hand to gently pull at long strands of Keith’s hair.

     “Didn’t know you were such a koala, samurai.” Keith huffed and wrapped his arms tighter around Lance’s middle in retaliation. Lance let out a strangled laugh and Keith couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on his face, burying it into his chest to hide his embarrassment. It was pleasant, just laying there not worrying about anything else, and Keith marveled in the fact that in this moment he was happy. He felt Lance hesitantly run his fingers through his hair and he gripped the back of Lance’s shirt as a pleased mew escaped his mouth without his consent. He barely heard it, but he still caught the small swear that Lance let out under his breath. 

     “Keith.” There was an underlying panic to his voice that made Keith pull back to look at him. The look of pure shock and wonderment splayed on Lance’s face made his eyebrows pull together in concern. Did he fuck it up again? “Keith.” He said his name with more urgency making Keith start to pull further back, but Lance reached out and caught his hand, which he noticed was a particular shade of  _ purple. _

     “Dude,  _ you’re purple!  _ Look at your ears! Oh my God!” Keith jumped and ran to the mirror in his bathroom. Staring back at him was grotesque version of himself. His skin was the light violet shade that all Galra were, large fluffy ears shot out from behind his dark messy bedhead. He stared at his yellowed scleroses, his lilac eyes looking brighter in the artificial light of the bathroom. He turned back to look at Lance who hadn’t moved from his spot on the bed other than to sit up.

     “How are you not freaking out about this?! I’m- I’m fucking purple!” Lance shrugged his shoulders and smiled at him. Keith sagged against the door frame.

     “What? You’re cute! Plus I watched it happen. You got all smiley and then you just kind of shifted into looking like that, I figure if you think about what ever you were thinking about you could probably change back no problem.” Keith sputtered, his cheeks turning a darker color. Lance chuckled and motioned him over. “Come ere’ lemme see ya!” His blush darkened, but he slowly made his way over to sit back down on the bed. He looked away as Lance reached up to lightly pet his ears. His eyes fluttered shut and he practically leaned into the touch. It was embarrassing, but the little star stuck “wow” that Lance let out under his breath made it almost worth it. It was humiliating and he wanted to get back to normal sooner rather than later, but considering he had been thinking about how happy Lance made him feel when he changed in the first place, he gave up. He could feel Lance rake his fingers through his hair to reach the base of his ear and he almost let out a really embarrassing sound when Lance’s thumb rubbed at it. He wasn’t going to deny that felt amazing; even more the fact that it was Lance, who was currently making his whole body heat up uncomfortably. He had to focus, but damn was it hard when Lance was doing that. Through the pleasure of Lance practically kneading his skull, Keith threw all his willpower into thinking about what he normally looked like. He waited, but he could tell nothing had changed. His eyebrows came together in frustration and he was about to snap at Lance that it wasn’t working, when he felt two hands land on the sides of his face. He opened his eyes to find Lance staring intently at him,  a cheshire grin stretched wide. 

     “Keith, just change back for me now. It’s not that hard!” His eyes sparkled with untamed challenge and promise. Keith let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and didn’t take his eyes off of the boy across from him, whose hands still rested on his face. Just seeing his smile made him smile back, albeit small. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, he was changing back. They both watched in interest as his skin changed hue all the way back to its normal pale complexion. Lance let go of his face, only to pull at his now very much normal ears. Keith slapped his hand way and pushed him over, Lance’s giggles filling up the small room with a sort of light-hearted air. He pushed himself off the bed and held a hand out to help the other up. 

     “Come on let’s get cleaned up and go get something to eat before all hell breaks loose and Shiro decides that he agrees with Allura that throwing us off a cliff is a good bonding exercise.” Lance laughed at that, grabbing Keith’s hand. Maybe he held on longer that necessary, Keith could never be quite sure, but a sort of pleasant hum had made a permanent residence in his heart. 

     Not unusual, the kitchen was filled with chatter among the other five inhabitants of the Castle-ship. Coran was in the middle of some grandiose explanation of some adventure he had partaken in long ago, his arms swinging madly almost smacking Pidge in the face as she brought another spoonful of a type of oat they had found and deemed a “breakfast food.” Until Hunk could figure out how to make pancakes it was what they were stuck with lest they eat the less than tasteful green gelatinous goop for every meal of the day. Hunk sent them off with their plates and they both sat down, listening to the tail end of Coran’s fanatical story. No one said much, content to listen to Coran’s ramblings and enjoy the morning (though out in space there wasn’t really days and nights so saying morning was a loose term.) Shiro caught Keith’s eyes from across the table, an unspoken question lingering in the gaze. Keith let his usual mask of indifference let up enough to quirk his mouth up into a half smile, before nodding and looking back down at his bowl of dry oats and milk. He could still hear the pleased hum from across the table. 

     The noise of the kitchen was welcoming and Keith was suddenly reminded of what Lance had said about the noise that only family could make. He took a moment to look around the table at the important members of Voltron; of his family. It had taken him time, but he understood now after fighting countless battles with them that they each were one of a kind, coming together to form not just a super weapon, but a bringer of peace. Hunk shared his whole heart with every person he met and was the most trustworthy person Keith had ever met. Allura was a strong and unwavering force that pulled them up when they fell down. He could admit that he was brash, but his quick thinking had saved them time and time again. Lance was loyal to the end, willing to put everything on the line to ensure the safety of everyone he met. Pidge was cunning and always able to come up with another way to get the job done in the most efficient way, never leaving a member behind. Coran was full of wit and charisma, always willing to go the extra mile to cheer everyone up and keep his princess safe. Shiro was tactical and kind, always fighting for what he believed in and never giving up on a mission. Together they were the strongest team, defenders of the universe; family. His heart stung when he realized that he couldn’t feel homesick, not with his family surrounding him, but the others? They had left their homes on Earth unwillingly to become a part of something so much bigger than themselves and willingly chose to keep fighting even though the risk of death far outweighed the chance of them ever going home to see their families again. 

      Keith watched as Allura stood to return to the main deck to start running diagnostic tests on the castle after yesterday’s battle. He was struck with a sudden idea as he looked back around at his makeshift family and stood quickly, excusing himself from the table to rush off and catch up to Allura. The others gave him a rather strange looks, but carried on with the rest of the meal without much of a second thought. She wasn’t much further down the hall, but Keith still had to jog to catch up to her. 

     “Allura, can I talk to you for a second?” She turned, clearly surprised that Keith had actively to seek her out. Her displeasure at him was clearly evident on her face, and although it ticked him off to no end that she had flipped her entire perspective of him because of something so small as his newly discovered ancestry; this matter wasn’t about him. He forced himself to remain indifferent to her distaste.

     “Is there a problem?” Her voice was tense and Keith reached into his pocket to grab the shell there that had became a sort of coping mechanism he had realized. He was doing this for Lance and the others.

     “Not right now, but I am concerned with how it may affect how efficiently we can form Voltron in the future.” It was easier to stay formal with her. This probably would have been an easier feat to accomplish if it had been anyone but him asking, but they had to be supporting cases right now. She gave him a sharp nod to continue, concern taking over the glare she had leveled at him. Good. “I, by no means, am good at reading others emotions. However, more than one Paladin has spoken about their homesickness, and while I understand that that is going to happen regardless, there is an unspoken fear that they all have. I know that they worry that they will die out here and their families will have no idea what happened to them. They already had to leave without saying goodbye… I just want to make sure that they get the chance to before it’s too late. Please, Princess, can we stop by Earth so they can see their families one last time?” Her face had softened and he knew he had hit a nerve with her. She looked away and started to continue her walk towards the control room, leaving Keith standing in the middle of the hallway.

     “I’ll see what I can do.” Her voice rang out like a double edged sword from the doorway of the main center. Keith couldn’t hold back the wide smile that broke out on his face. Lance was going to see his family again. He was filled with energy and he changed course for the training room, pulling his hair up into a high pony and shrugging his jacket off. The automatic lights turned on when he entered, the door sliding shut behind him. He threw his jacket off to the side and activated his Bayard. The electrified sword was as long as his torso, but it was perfectly balanced for him. More weird alien magic probably. He wasn’t going to question how they knew which weapon was tailored to their style. Made him wonder how Lance got to be such a good shot.


	4. Chapter 4: Special Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo waddup I'm back :3 I didn't write at all for the past week so uh lol but! This chapter is ready! It's early today cuz I have a shit ton of work to do so I'm uploading now so I can get the rest of my life back together xD at least I got school figured out for the time being... -_-'  
> Enjoy!

     “Level 5 guardian; start.” Sue him he was in a good mood and things needed to be destroyed. Half way through he admits that this probably wasn’t a good idea to try so soon after a fight, but it was challenging and he loved a challenge. It was mercilessly attacking him and he was having trouble keeping up, his bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat. He rolled and parried with it to gain some footing before jumping back in a hasty retreat. He swore when it almost nicked his shoulder. He threw a leg out to try and unbalance it before jamming an arm up to knock it back when it charged at him again. He was working out a rhythm of attack and defense, but his progress was slow and he was already tired. He was deadlocked, sword against sword, when the door opened and caused a lapse in concentration. His Bayard was flung across the room and he grimaced. He rolled and pulled his dagger out from his sheath on the back of his belt and threw it with such pin-point accuracy and high velocity that it flew straight through the guardians eye, lodging itself in the wall behind. It fell with a loud clang and Keith was still poised with his arm outstretched, his face pinched in concentration and frustration. It took him a moment to realize what he had done purely on instinct. Slowly, his arms lowered and he turned to look at who had entered. Shiro stood with his mouth open slightly in shock.

     “Impressive. You’ve certainly improved. But, don’t forget it’s okay to take breaks. Come on, Allura wants us all to meet up in the control room.” He waited for Keith to retrieve his dagger from across the room and grab a towel to at least attempt to look somewhat put together. They didn’t talk on the way down, but Shiro stopped him just before they went in. He put a hand on Keith’s shoulder and he prepared for the worst at the serious look that he gave him. He pressed his lips into a tight line and awaited the inevitable about working himself too hard or to be more careful on missions or to keep it together for Voltron’s sake. Instead he got a gentle smile.

     “I know you were the one that went and talked to Allura about this and I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of who you’ve become. It takes a lot to notice when your teammates are hurting and you took the initiative to do something about it.” Keith flushed under the praise, still unsure of how to best to respond to it. They only stood a moment more before the voices of the other Paladin’s drew their attention back. Shiro let his hand waver only a little bit longer before he entered leaving Keith standing alone in the bright hallway. He hoped that Allura would keep him anonymous, but if Shiro already knew… he took a deep breath and entered the room. It was a bit of chaos as it always was. Hunk was arguing with Lance and Pidge about experimentation on the food goo to possibly make it different flavors, and by association more edible. Allura was talking to Coran about something but they were both keeping hush hush about it. Shiro looked lost. Keith wasted no time sidestepping the mass and sat down in his chair, pulling up the surrounding systems and their Galra influences. It seemed like they were all in the clear. He hoped that this meeting was about what he thought it was. Allura’s strong voice hushed the others quickly.

      “Paladins.” All eyes were on her and Keith waited with bated breath afraid to jump to conclusions. She locked eyes with each one of them, staring the longest at Keith, who made no outward signs. “It had been brought to my attention the manner in which you joined together to form Voltron so many phoebs ago was rather abrupt.” She paused to survey the collection of various head nods from all of them. “In this event you were unable to say goodbye to your loved ones. Therefore, if the next few missions go according to plan, in a movement we shall take a small detour back to Earth so that you may take the time to see your loved ones once more.” For a few seconds no one moved, too shaken by the notion, before wide smiles broke out. Hunk was in tears immediately, running to hug the daylights out of her. She seemed surprised but smiled warmly and hugged him back. Pidge was much more resigned but you could tell that it meant a lot to her to be able to tell her mother just how close she had gotten to finding her brother and father. What hit Keith the most was Lance. He figured he be jumping for joy and be filling the room with overzealous cries; but he wasn’t. He stood with a sad smile on his face, watching the others warmly. He must have felt Keith’s eyes on him, because he looked over and his eyes didn’t leave his. He walked over and Keith stood to maybe make it less awkward, but ended up being far closer to Lance than he meant. He stepped back to give him more space, but Lance’s hand ended up on his shoulder. He stopped to look at the rare appearance of vulnerability in his eyes.

     “Did you talk to Allura about this?” His voice was soft and Keith was sure no one else in the commotion of the room was paying any attention to their conversation. He looked away, unable to meet Lance’s questioning gaze. He nodded but didn’t say anything more. There was a brief moment where neither of them made any sort of move, but without any sort of warning, Keith was being pulled into a hug. He tensed, unsure of what to do, before hesitantly wrapping his arms around Lance. He was warm and soft and in that single frame of time he wanted to pause everything and just revel in what it felt like to be held so gently. No one had ever given him a hug like this before. Shiro patted him on the shoulder; Hunk squeezed him around the middle. But this? It was wonderful. He buried his face in the juncture of Lance’s neck, not so unlike when Lance had done the same to him the night before.

     “ _Thank you._ Gods, thank you, Keith.” He wasn’t sure if he had even noticed that he had said it in the other language first, but Keith did. He stored that away for later though, still caught up in the feeling of being wrapped tightly in Lance’s arms. He could feel Lance’s form shake from the deep rooted laughter, its sound ringing out brightly. He leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “Careful now, don’t go furry on me; not here. I have a plan about that later if you care- right now we should stop hugging before it gets weird and the others start asking questions that neither of us know how to answer.” Keith pulled back sharply and shoved him hard, a smile still on his face. Lance let out another bark of laughter while he regained his footing. Their eyes met once more and Keith could feel heat of challenge sparking in Lance’s eyes. He rolled his eyes and he moved to go back and retrieve his jacket from the training room when he felt a sharp tug on his pony tail. He turned to glare at Lance, who had a huge smile on his face. He winked before running to give a big hug to Hunk, leaving Keith to stand there, flushed and content.

     The week leading up to the trip was eventful to say the least. Allura clearly meant to get as much done in that week as they possibly could to ensure worm-holing to Earth was as safe as they could get it. They were only stuck in a few meetings, mostly concerning the Alliance, but regardless when she hashed out different attacks on several small Galra bases the team was ready for action. With the aid of the Blades of Marmora it was almost too easy and Keith was reveling in the praise they sent his way. He was conflicted; they had offered him training, to better his hand-to-hand combat, but it would pull from his time with the team. Right now it wasn’t something he was going to focus on; there were much bigger problems to deal with.

     The more interesting part of the week itself was Lance’s so called “plan.” After the emotional hug on the bridge, Keith had gone to do some much lighter training to work off all of uncertain energy. It felt a little tedious going to a much lower guardian, but they were made of metal and he was trying for a no weapon sort of training. He threw a high kick to get a strike to its upper torso when an impressed whistle rang out from the doorway. He was about to be annoyed that he was interrupted again during training, but Lance was standing there with a goofy grin on his face.

     “Nice, dude! Man, I wish I could do that! My close range fighting is shit, honestly.” He laughed a little and Keith paused the simulation. An idea came to him and before he could back out, because really he knew it was probably bad for his health, walked over to Lance with a smirk in place.

      “I could teach you. Never know when you could be caught off guard,” He hesitated before continuing with a challenging glint in his eye, “Sharpshooter.” Lance’s eyes widened in surprise before he got his game face on and huffed.

      “No one catches me off guard! I’ve got like 360 vision!” Keith gave a more sinister sort of smile and before Lance could even begin to process, he had slid over and stuck a leg out to knock him right off his feet, his arms ready to catch him and put him in a headlock.

     “You were saying?” His smirk grew when Lance tapped out and sent a glare his way. Keith raised an eyebrow at him and Lance huffed.

     “Yeah maybe some practice would be good.”

     They spared for the better part of an hour before Lance was calling for a break. Keith was absolutely annihilating him, berating him for sloppy transitions and not quick enough reaction times. Keith knew that he was probably the best person besides Shiro to spar with considering his particular fighting style. He was proud of himself for keeping everything under control whenever he had to help guide Lance into proper stances and correct blocking techniques. Keith was actually quite impressed by the fast progression that they had. Lance was a quick learner and had gotten the basics down faster than anticipated. He was taking a drink of water when he felt a tug on his ponytail. It was becoming a common way that Lance got his attention.

     “I think I’m worn out for now, but I have an idea for a different kind of training for you if you wanna hear.” Keith raised his eyebrow in question and motioned for him to continue. He shook his head and his eyes found the cameras stationed in the corner of the room, “Not here. Your room or mine?” Keith looked at him in confusion and ignored the fact that he hadn’t really had a choice in whether or not he was doing this “different kind” of training. He shrugged and Lance smiled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the training room at almost troubling speed. He pulled him into his room and Keith paused to look around. It was the first time he had ever been in Lance’s room and he couldn’t say he was surprised. Clothes were littered all around the floor, thrown haphazardly, some more destroyed than others. His paladin armor lay in a bundled mess at the bottom of his closet, not unlike Keith’s own. What surprised him the most were the photos. They were all over the walls. Pictures of Lance happily smiling with random aliens from all over the galaxy after a successful mission. In some he looked horrible, blood and sweat cracked around a broken but pleased smile. In others he looked immaculate almost as if a battle hadn’t even occurred. Some he recognized, others he didn’t, but one thing was for sure; Lance treasured every single one of them. The other surprising thing was the lights hadn’t automatically turned on when they entered the room. Instead Lance flipped a switch hanging from a cord on the wall and suddenly Keith was blown away by the soft lighting coming from Christmas lights strung around the room. It was so warm and so _Lance._

      Lance didn’t let go of his wrist as he pulled him towards the bed and Keith had to absently wonder just how he had acquired so many blankets. Lance sat cross-legged on the bed, the collection of blankets surrounding him like ripples in water. There was something about it that just seemed to fit and Keith saved the image to his memory. He patted the space across from him and Keith moved to sit similarly. The reflection from the lights twinkled in his eyes and Keith almost wanted a picture to hang on his empty walls. Lance looked nervous for the first time since they had entered.

     “Okay so don’t kill me or anything, but hear me out. So you know how the thing happened this morning- with the ears and stuff-” Keith’s mouth formed a tight line but he didn’t say anything yet, figuring he already knew where this was going. “I was thinking if you practiced enough you could do it on command and not by accident or anything. I mean it could be helpful if we got stuck somewhere or… anyways I thought I could be your coach or something since it seemed to help earlier, but I mean I get it if you don’t want to it was just an idea…” He figured out he was rambling and stopped to judge Keith’s reaction to the whole thing. Keith knew it was a bad idea, but today seemed to be a plethora of bad decisions on his part. He squared his shoulders and nodded. They looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

     “So, what were you thinking about this morning?” Keith blushed and looked away.

     “I don’t want to talk about it.” This whole thing was making him uncomfortable. He understood why Lance had suggested it, and he was right, but that didn’t make this whole situation less awkward. Lance gave him a frown and scooted closer.

     “Okay, sure, I guess I don’t really need to know, but whatever it was it made you all smiley and stuff. So maybe it’s based on your emotions? You’re all moody and angry all the time so maybe that’s why you hadn’t shifted until now. You have to get all happy and stuff.” He said it thoughtfully and Keith had to admire how seriously he was taking this. Lance loved to mess around and crack jokes, but he was focused when it counted. It was an interesting point and he could understand where he was coming from. It also made him silently freak out a bit. If he was going to have to practice changing in front of Lance, while thinking about how happy Lance made him feel; well he might as well disband from Voltron now. He was so in thought about how much shit he would get if he figured it out that he jumped a little when Lance suddenly clapped his hands.

     “So! Started thinking happy thoughts!” Keith scowled at him. “See, no you’re doing it wrong- that’s the opposite of what you need to be doing.” Before Keith could realize what was happening, Lance had reached over and stuck his fingers painfully into the corners of his mouth and pushed upwards, forcing it into a smile. Keith glared daggers at him and slapped his hand away. Lance just laughed. The sight made Keith pause. His tanned skin shimmered in the dim light and his wide smile seemed to almost outshine them. It was another one of those moments that made Keith stop and realize just how beautiful Lance was. It made him hate that they were here, stuck in space, millions of miles away from Earth. He reminded himself that they were going in a week's time, but that didn’t make him feel much better about their situation. He sighed and tried to let the tension release from his body. He locked eyes with Lance and tried to remember the feeling that he had had earlier that morning. He could tell that he wasn’t in the right mindset though. He was worrying too much about making this awkward. He must have made a face because Lance started scooting closer.

     “Or maybe you have to be touching someone? I mean we were snuggling when you did it the first time…” He said it carefully, like he was afraid he was scare Keith off by the suggestion. A  deep blush took over and he looked away, embarrassed that he really wanted to do such a thing again. He had lived his whole life without really having anyone to touch him so intimately, but now that he had felt what it was like, he wanted to do it more. He cursed this whole situation. He looked back up to find Lance had moved pretty close, a questioning look on his face. He opened his arms and Keith slowly leaned in to wrap his arms around him, like they had done on the bridge. It was awkward with their legs still crossed and Keith was about to pull back, convinced that this was not going to work, when Lance let out a large bark of laughter.

     “Dude, this is stupid. New plan!” Lance suddenly gripped him super tight and launched them both up before they collapsed back on the bed all tangled together. Lance’s whole body convulsed with laughter. It was stupid and it was something stupid that only Lance could do. Keith’s chest filled with warmth and he thought maybe everything would be okay.

     This time he could feel it. His skin got all tingly and his hearing was suddenly sharper. He could tell his canines were more pointed too, but that didn’t stop him from smiling. He had done it; kind of on command. He preened under the small “whoa” that Lance said under his breath. He realized he was practically laying on top of him, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. A bubble of laughter came out and Lance smiled up at him, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

      “Too bad being half Galra doesn’t fix this awful hair cut too.” Keith whacked his chest and rolled off of him. Lance laughed before letting out a small hum. “Personally, I think you look better like this. More in your element and all that.” He seemed startled when Keith took a sharp intake of breath, almost like he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Keith’s blush was back at full force. Whatever way he had meant it, it was a genuine compliment nonetheless. Lance seemed to be as embarrassed about the comment as Keith was, but that didn’t stop him from reaching over and playing with his ears. He turned and buried his face in the blankets. He felt a tug on one and peaked out to look at Lance who was looking at him with pure joy and wonderment.

     “Come out here, I wanna see!” He pulled on his shirt and Keith turned to look at him more. “It’s crazy! Like your eyes look so much lighter! And when you blush, like, your face turns a darker shade of purple! It’s so cute!” he seemed unaware of how him gushing about his appearance was affecting Keith. he coughed and gave him a small smile.

     “What, am I not normally cute enough for you?” He was genuinely curious. Lance’s eyes went wide, surprised at the forwardness of the question and started flailing on the bed, rolling around while pressing his hands to his face.

     “No! No you look just fine as regular you, great even! But like this you’re all happy and it’s nice cuz’ you don’t usually let yourself get like that and-” His voice got all quiet and even with his hands still covering his face, Keith could tell he was bright red underneath. “Well, I feel special cuz’ its only with me.” Keith wanted to rip his hair out. It had only ever been Lance. How did he not get that he was the one that made him this happy. He was brash and lame and was always picking battles he knew he couldn’t win, but he was also kind and fiercely loyal and charming. Keith knew that he buried his insecurities behind walls of false confidence, but he never gave up in a fight. Pidge had once said that he was Keith’s better half and she was right. They really did make a good team. Keith let out a fond laugh and Lance slowly lowered his hands to look at him, a wobbly smile on his face. Keith leveled his gaze and slowly shifted back. He pushed off the bed and when he reached the door he turned back to look Lance straight in the eyes.

     “I wonder why that is.” With that he walked out before running to his room to lock the door and cover himself under his meek blanket, his face burning in embarrassment.

     That was basically how the rest of the week went. Play peaceful diplomat, beat the shit out of the Galra, train with Lance. He was almost up to Keith’s level of hand-to-hand by the end of the week. They had spent some time fighting together against groups of guardians and it had really helped the fluidity of their dynamic. Keith made a mental note to train with him more often after they got back, and maybe with the rest of the team since it seemed to help loads during actual battle. They could almost predict each other’s movements at this point, which surprised the Galra every time. Their other training was making leaps and bounds too. Keith, just as he figured, had to be thinking about Lance to change at a rapid pace. Lance made him happy and when he was happy it was way easier to flip back and forth. He had pretty much gotten the hang of it and could do it without blushing like a middle schooler. He didn’t want to admit to it though. It was nice to finish training and then go lay in Lance’s bed and snuggle. They had grown exponentially closer over the past couple weeks and Keith was secretly loving it. Their fights had turned into more playful bickering and if the team had noticed, they hadn’t said anything about it; much happier at this development.

     Keith woke slowly on the day that marked the end of a week since he had talked Allura into letting the team go home for a day. He absently wondered why he was so warm before he realized he and Lance were wrapped up together again. They had trained past dinner the night before and they were both so worn out that after Keith shifted once, they had collapsed and fell asleep. He thought that maybe he should have been more concerned that he had spent the whole night in Galra form, but Lance was waking up and looking at him with a huge smile on his face.

     “Okay I found something cuter than Galra Keith; _Sleepy_ Galra Keith!” Lance apparently had no filter when he was tired. Keith nuzzled closer and chose to ignore that comment.

     “Today’s the day.” His voice was muffled by Lance’s shirt. He could feel Lance’s hand threading through his hair, which was in desperate need of a wash. He took to rubbing at the base of his ear. Keith let out a bit of a whine startling them both. Lance laughed before letting out a deep sigh.


	5. Chapter 5: Counting four...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay Disclaimer! As we start the trip to Earth and all of its lovely sights let me say that I have never been to any of these places and if you live in any of these places and you're like "It's not like that at all!" I am very sorry!!! I tried to do my research and be as accurate as I could without having actually been there myself! Also if you haven't figured it out by now, when someone speaks in either their native language or in a language that is not their native language, it will be in italics. This, so you know what they are saying, and because I don't trust google translate within an inch of my life. Please tell me if there are any major language mistakes though if you notice! That being said, read on! :D  
> -Enjoy!

     “Today’s the day.” Lance’s voice was quiet as he repeated him. Keith pulled back to look at him. He had that sad smile on his face again. Keith frowned. He didn’t understand. He thought that was what Lance wanted most; to see his family. Yet here he was, looking miserable and Keith didn’t know what to do. Against his better judgment, he grabbed Lance’s hand and laced their fingers together. Lance looked at him questionably.

     “What’s wrong Lance. Tell me.” He didn’t mean to sound forceful, but he needed to know. Lance kept everything locked away deep inside, same as him. Keith was working on his, but Lance didn’t seem to even want to try.

     “It’s not- I can’t- it doesn’t matter.” He looked away, pained, but Keith didn’t let him slip away.

     “It does matter if it’s making you this upset. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me about it.” Keith was getting angry that Lance was trying to brush his emotions off again, becoming a shell of himself. They had been doing so well, but now… Lance looked at him with such anguish he was struck back by it.

     “Well I can’t!” His voice was unsteady and hurt. He pulled their hands apart and untangled himself from Keith to roll over and face the wall. “Just drop it, okay?” It was barely above a whisper and even if Keith was mad at him, it didn’t make him worry any less. This was clearly a deeply rooted matter that he wouldn’t figure out overnight. He got up from the bed and subtly panicked over the fact that he was far too upset right now to change back. He saw Lance’s jacket, haphazardly thrown onto the floor. He slipped it on and pulled the hood up and over his ears. He stood at the door, fiddling with the pull strings of the jacket, before he turned to look at Lance’s still figure hidden under multiple blankets.

     “I’ll come get you when everyone is ready to go. Try and clean up, okay?” The hum of approval was all he got. He sighed and left the room, crossing over to his own as quickly as he could. His door slid closed and he slammed his fist against it. Why? Keith just didn’t understand. He breathed out and slowly crossed over to his bed. He kept taking deep breaths and closed his eyes. He was still wearing the jacket and he was suddenly filled with the scent of _Lance._ He reminded himself that today wasn’t about him. He let out all the air left in his lungs and slowly changed back. He let the hood fall off to pull his hair up into a ponytail, but he couldn’t bring himself to take the jacket off. He tried to make his frown less painful, but it ended up just looking like a scowl. He headed for the kitchen for food even though he wasn’t really hungry.

     When he got there, Pidge was the only one at the table. He grabbed a milk pack and sat down next to her, trying to get a look at what she was messing with on her computer. She shot him a look and he backed off.

     “I haven’t made much progress with finding out what language it is. Turns out the Altean database is huge! It’s gotten through about a third of the known universe.” Keith’s shoulders sagged. He had been hoping for some good news.

     “Keith?” He looked up when Pidge spoke quizatively. “Why does this matter anyways? What are you going to do once you do know what language it is?” Keith paused. What _was_ he going to do after he knew? Confront Lance? That still seemed like that was out of his jurisdiction. He shrugged.

     “I guess, I thought that maybe if I figured it out and told him it was okay, he’d open up to me? He keeps all this stuff locked away and he won’t tell anyone. I just want him to feel like he can trust the team; that he can trust me.” She nodded thoughtfully before grabbing her computer and hopping up. She pulled the hood of Lance’s jacket up over his head and laughed at him on the way out.

     “I think he trusts you just fine loverboy.” Keith sputtered, but she was gone before he could raise a fuss. He slumped back into his chair and sipped his milk. He knew Lance trusted him. Hell he was the only one that knew about the Galra-Keith thing, but even that apparently that wasn’t enough. What did he have to do? Maybe… maybe once Pidge managed to crack what language it was, he could learn some simple phrases. I mean if Lance could learn it, it couldn’t be that hard, right? If he learned just enough to prove that it wasn’t something to be ashamed of, Lance would tell him why he learned it in the first place. Maybe it could lead to solving the many questions Keith still had about Lance. Though depending on how today went, he might get some answers sooner rather than later.

     By the time he got back from taking a shower, everyone had gathered in the hanger around the green lion. He had put the jacket back on, filled with a strange sort of possessiveness towards it. He frowned at the thought; he was acting like some lovesick teenager. They were all present but Lance, and Keith was starting to worry. Maybe this really had been a mistake. He was 5 ticks away from running back to get him himself when he came skipping into the hanger. He eyes roamed the group but stopped on Keith. He pointed an accusatory finger at him.

     “That’s where my jacket went! Jacket stealer!” He was loud and brash, and the team rolled there eyes, but Keith could tell he was the only one that caught the playful glint in his eyes. He crossed his arms and upturned his nose at him.

     “Perhaps if you cleaned your room more often, it wouldn’t get lost so easily. I just happened to find it.” He flipped Keith off, but laughed all the same.

     “Well I guess you’d better keep an eye on it for now; wouldn’t want it getting lost again now would we?” Keith flushed at the comment and ducked when Lance pulled the hood up and over his head. He was starting to get annoyed with how that had happened to him multiple times now. Before Pidge could start beating the living shit out of them both for blatantly flirting and not doing anything about it, Shiro gathered their attention.

     “Alright so the plan is we all join Pidge in the Green lion because of its cloaking ability. Pidge with jam Earth’s sensors long enough for us to pass through the atmosphere undetected. The most ideal spot for entry will have us close to Hunk’s home first, so that’s where we’ll start. We’ll continue west to stop at my place briefly, then to Pidge’s, before hitting Keith’s and finally Lance’s. Allura and Coran will stay on the Castle of Lions and keep watch, should anything happen. Sounds good to everyone?” There were varying head nods from everyone before Pidge smiled up at the Green Lion. She reached down and opened the more accessible door on the side of her head for them all and they quickly descended inside, Lance giving a big wave to Allura as the door closed tight. They crammed into the cockpit and Keith let out an undignified squawk as Hunk accidentally elbowed him straight into Lance. Hunk gave him a sheepish smile as Lance put his hands on his shoulders to steady him. Lance let go to grab onto one of the small overhead handles, his other hand snaking between them to grab Keith’s own, lacing their fingers together. Keith turned to look at him, but he kept his eyes forward, a certain tightness around them made it obvious that he was nervous about the whole thing. Keith gave a little squeeze and planted his feet. He felt Lance squeeze back and his lips upturned slightly.

     Pidge started the lion up and soon they shot off into the large expanse of space, the small blue planet barely a dot through the visor. They all knew better though; they would be there within minutes. The closer they got, Earth getting larger by the second, Pidge turned to Hunk and silently asked for directions.

     “Upolu; it’s an island in Polynesia, like two thousand miles northeast of Australia?” She nodded, her lion understanding more than she surprisingly. Apparently a small island covered in plant life was easy for her to find in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Pidge turned on the cloaking and tapped at the portable computer stored in the paladin armor, starting up the override bug that would jam the Garrison’s sensors long enough to pass through the atmosphere. It pinged to their satellite just as they entered. Keith marveled at the huge expanse of water that laid out in front as the green lion reached closer for the surface. It sparkled with the light of the sun, the oceanic spray back-washing as the lion pulled close enough for the jets to hit the water. Even through the visor, Keith could see the small rainbow forming in the mist. He had to admit Lance was right; the ocean was much better than the desert. He watched as two small green islands came into view, even smaller ones trailing off to the right. Hunk pointed at the smaller of the two main islands.

     “That’s Upolu. My family lives in Apia. You can probably park Green in the park, my house isn’t a far walk from there.” Pidge nodded and brought them in closer. Even with visiting new planets everyday, he would never get tired of seeing the sights on his home planet. Both of Samoa’s larger Islands were rich in trees and forests alike, the creamy white sands of the beaches giving it the appearance of a traveler's dream. Though they were closing in fast, Keith didn’t miss the traditional thatched roofs of smaller dwellings set much closer to the beach front. Their construction was interesting and he reminded himself to ask Hunk about it later. Pidge expertly maneuvered Green into the thick of trees on the edge of the park trying to cause as little damage as possible. The lion might be camouflaged but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t run straight into it by accident. Keith could tell that Hunk was excited. His smile was as wide as he had ever seen it and he dumbly realized that yes, he might have done this with Lance in mind, but that didn’t make the trip any less special and important to the team as a whole. He found that even he was genuinely curious and and a little excited to meet everyone’s families, to see what their life had been like before Voltron, even before the Garrison. He stumbled a little when he also found his hand was still tightly clasped in Lance’s own, but neither of them was making an effort to pull apart. He smiled warmly to himself and stuck close to Lance’s side.

     Hunk was practically bouncing up and down, skipping as they followed the paved streets though the rural district right off of the park. The air smelled of the sea, the breeze carrying it from the coast. Keith was surprised by just how much green there was, tilted roofs of the small homes hidden among the trees. The busy sounds of the city and the laughter of children playing out in the late mid-day rays filled the air as they walked further into the thick, more homes popping up here and there. They stopped not much after that, close enough that had she not been cloaked, the Green lion would have been visible, her watchful gaze on them. A little ways back, shadowed by large trees, a small home sat. it was a long rectangle, the fading yellow paint of the siding still standing out amongst so much green. Long open windows almost reached the bottom of the lifted home, flowery drapes flowing in and out in the slight breeze. Clothes lines hung from the tinted triangle roof, garments of all colors and sizes out to dry. Potted plants lined the front of the house, leaving space only for the small step that led up to the open door that clanked against the side of the house. It was worn down, but distinctly Hunk. They walked slowly behind Hunk as he made his way to the door almost cautiously.

     “Tina? Teineitiiti?” He knocked lightly on the door. They all held their breath a little as the sounds around them seemed to fade to silence. Keith jumped a little when a loud squeal came from inside and a small girl came running out, tackling Hunk and smooshing her face into his stomach.

     “Tuagane! Tina! Tina! _Hunk came back!_ ” Keith couldn’t understand the last bit, but he got the gist. The little girl that looked like the spitting image of Hunk let go of his middle and he laughed lifting her up to sit on his shoulders. An older woman with a single white streak in her dark hair came to the door, one hand on her heart, the other over her mouth. The brightly colored dress she wore did nothing to distract from the tears falling from her eyes. Keith felt like he was intruding on something, but when he tried to back away, Lance held strong and shook his head at him.

     “My little manu, _you’ve come home.”_  Hunk rushed to her and wrapped himself around her, the sound of his sobbing drowned out by his face pushing into her hair.

     “I’m home Tina, _I’m home.”_  It was interesting to hear Hunk speak his native language and Keith smiled, silently proud of himself for befriending people from all over the world; the universe. The tearful reunion was broken when the younger one started patting Hunk on the head impatiently, pointing at the rest of them.

 _“Brother, who are those people? Are they bad? I’ll beat em’ up if they are!”_ Hunk let go of his mother and laughed as he wiped his eyes. He looked at them and smiled.

 _“No, these are my friends. They brought me back to see you.”_ Her mouth opened in awe and he grabbed at his hair. He let her down and motioned for them to come closer, the lot of them still standing close to the street. They all walked over and Hunk started introducing them all.

 _“This is Shiro, he’s my boss. The little one there is Pidge- she’s a genius- and the two nerds in the back are Lance and Keith.”_  Keith nodded at them when he heard his name mentioned, Lance waving enthusiastically. Hunk turned back to them with a wide smile. “That one is my sister Maggy and this is my mom.” He showed them off proudly. His mother came up slowly and clasped Shiro’s hand.

     “Thank you for bringing him home. We were so worried we would never see him again.” She hadn’t stopped crying, and Shiro held her hand tightly. He had a sad smile on his face.

     “Your son has been one of the most valiant fighters I have ever seen. We are just as proud of him as you are, I’m sure.” A frown pulled onto her face and Hunk sighed.

     “Tina, let’s go inside. I have a lot to tell you about.” She let go of Shiro’s hand and slowly they all trailed after them into the small home.

     The inside was like the outside, filling the small space with charm. One space blended into the other, plants filling up the spots in between. The small living room had only one couch, an intricate rug laid out on the floor. Beyond that, a table with two chairs rested opposite , the kitchen sitting behind it, uncomfortably downsized compared to the Castle. Keith could see down the hallway bedrooms and bathrooms were hidden just out of sight. Hunk and his mother sat on the worn couch, its body sagging under the unexpected weight, and Hunk began his tale of Voltron. His mother seemed to grow more weary with each word, but a sense of pride shown in her eyes at all her son had accomplished. Maggy grew bored after Hunk began talking whimsically about Shay, hopping over to stand directly in front of Lance who was sat on the floor next to Keith. She looked at him judgmentally and Lance stared back just as hard, never one to back down from a challenge. Keith almost laughed at the ridiculous faces they were both making, his mouth twitching up upwards. Her long black hair was pulled back into two tight pigtails that bounced when she suddenly pointed and exclaimed loudly,

 _“You blinked first!”_ Keith was about to step in and tell her that they didn’t speak Samoan when Lance laughed and gave her a trademark smirk back.

 _“I call a rematch! I didn’t know we were having a staring contest!”_  Keith’s jaw dropped. The was no was no way Lance knew Samoan too! That would bring it up to 4 languages that Keith knew about, how many else did he know? Was that his thing? Learning languages? It was astonishing and frankly quite amazing. Keith wanted to slap himself for ever taking a bash at Lance’s intelligence. Keith looked over at Lance, who was in a deadlock staring contest with Maggy, and he suddenly felt like he was seeing him for the first time again.

      He had lied when they had met again when he butted in on Shiro’s rescue mission. He had remembered him; how could he have forgotten. He had hated the Garrison with every fiber of his being, rules and regulations and Shiro was never around when he needed him. But Lance? His loud mouth and brash attitude annoyed Keith to no end when they first met. He couldn’t understand this kids problem. Why was he constantly picking fights he knew he couldn’t win? Some random Cargo Pilot with an inferiority complex it seemed, so Keith brushed him off like he did to everyone else there. It wasn’t until Keith had stuck around for a simulation drill, because Shiro had berated him the day before for not engaging with his fellow teammates, that he actually began to notice Lance. It was rather fascinating to watch. Lance was a Cargo Pilot, a position that didn’t require very invasive maneuvers. You just had to have enough knowledge to navigate a planet's terrain, which were mainly barren considering the moons they could reach. But as Keith watched the screen, he was surprised at the rough environment that had been programed in, but almost held more surprise for the amount of ease that Lance had weaving in and around the deep ravine he was in. Lance let out a whoop of excitement as he barrel rolled under a rather tight arch way. He landed at the simulated base and exited the simulation, a big smile on his face. Keith was shocked again when he didn’t receive praise, his commanding officer was instead yelling at him about uploading unrealistic simulations and how the cargo would have been damaged from such evasive maneuvers before continuing on to talk to the group about how that was exactly what not to do. Keith was certainly confused. Why wasn’t Lance with the Fighter Pilots? He was clearly much better suited, if that successful run was anything to go by. He had gone and pulled up the lists and was bothered by what he saw. Lance _was_ the best Cargo Pilot in their class, but there were just one too many slightly more qualified Fighters that he got bumped down. There was nothing he could do about it. He watched Lance more often then, interested in where his skills actually laid, had he not been constrained by the Garrison’s shitty rules. He found himself wondering more and more about the enigma that was Lance. He was upfront and charismatic, yet he sat alone during the lunch periods. He was nice to everyone and encouraged them to try harder to do better, yet he never followed with their invitations to group events. Keith, without meaning to, made an unconscious decision to take him up on every challenge he offered, letting him egg him on. He got in even more trouble than he had ever planned on but despite it all he could admit it was kind of fun. They weren’t really friends, rivals he called them despite the gap in skill level, but it was the first person outside of Shiro that had ever made an effort to spend time with him and it was nice. It wasn’t until Shiro had gone missing on the Kerberos mission that Keith was faced with the question of what now? After his father disappeared and the Galaxy Garrison took him in on a favor he had spent every moment there, Shiro taking him in and being his mentor. But now he was gone and Keith wasn’t tied to the Garrison. Why was he still there? Another part of his brain realized that if he left, there would be one less Fighter Pilot and Lance would finally have a chance to do what he always wanted to do. He decided then to throw all caution to the wind, getting himself expelled and it seemed like it was the right decision that led them all to where they were today.

     So he had lied when they saw each other again for the first time in over a year. Keith had planned on feigning innocence because he figured that Lance had forgotten him, but he hadn’t and Keith hadn’t known how to handle that. No one had ever remembered him. They rebuilt what they had had before, now at a much higher stake considering the war they were now actively fighting. It had been a rocky start, Keith not wanting to give in to such menial jests and Lance unintentionally seeking him out to aggravate him to no end. But after Lance took the brunt of the bomb that nearly destroyed the castle, Keith realized that it was useless to fight amongst themselves when any one of these days could very well be their last. Their relationship changed after that, reaching a tolerable level of bitching. Keith was glad to say that within the next 4 months they had become friends, maybe even closer than that within the past 2 weeks. Which brought him back to the present moment. Lance was cackling victoriously after beating Maggy at their staring contest. It was moments like this that made him warm that he had such a wonderful group of friends, something he never thought he would have when he was stuck out in the middle of the Arizona desert. He leaned up against Lance’s shoulder, content in the light humidity of the morning.

     They stayed for a little while longer, the sun just starting to dip lower behind the clouds as families began getting ready for dinner. Hunk had to break the news to his mom that they couldn’t stay longer, that his importance to the protection of the galaxy, and promised to return as soon as he could. He grabbed a bag of clothes, some homemade cookies for the road, and his cookbook in which he claimed would widen their food choices out in space, though Keith doubted the validity of that. Soon they were waving goodbye to Ms. Garrett and Maggy and began the trek back to the Green lion, who was patiently waiting for them. The startled gasps of a group of Rugby players in the park was heard when Pidge turned off the cloaking for a second to show Hunk’s family. Maggy’s eyes got huge and she turned to look at Hunk.

     “Lapisi Lapoa…” Hunk laughed and grinned up at Green.

     “Your right Maggy, she is a big kitty.” They all laughed as they got inside, Hunk giving one last set of hugs to his small family. He was crying again once they were all on board, but no one had the heart to say anything. Lance put a comforting hand on his shoulder. They lifted off slowly and they laughed at the look of people’s faces as Pidge turned the cloaking back on. Soon they had left the small islands of green to head the three thousand or so miles it was from Samoa to Japan. There was just endless ocean for the few minutes that it took, the reflection of the lion just visible under her massive paws, making the ocean turn a mirroring shade of green and blue. Keith thought back to his tiny opal and smiled.


	6. Chapter 6: Now this is just getting ridiculous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo waddup my homies! How about that expo though? Laurens basement must be getting full... I know this chapter is kinda meh, but like the next one mmm one of my faves so uh keep in toon for that?? My life is still a mess so just be glad that there's a shit ton of this story back saved cuz I wrote like once in the past week -_-'   
> I love love love all of you for the wonderful comments you leave and I hope you have a good rest of your week!  
> -enjoy!

     It wasn’t long at all before Pidge turned to Shiro.

     “Yokohama, please. It’s a south of Tokyo.” Pidge pulled the lion in tight as they grazed over the tops of the many households. The closer they got Keith was amazed by how closely the buildings laid upon each other, like blocks stacked together to form great monuments, greenery stretching between to climb to pass the telephone wires. As Shiro pointed them towards his small home, stationed just outside of an Elementary School, they all had to laugh a little. Space Dad. Pidge looked around worriedly as to where to park the lion, but Shiro pointed to a section of the school that had been closed off for construction.

     “It’s been under construction since before I left for the Garrison, plus we won’t be staying here long.” She nodded and brought it around, landing as quietly as she could on the piles of rubble and weathered construction equipment. As they exited, Shiro took the lead, walking fast enough to show that he was uneasy with being back here. They all hurried after him, Keith and Lance’s hands slightly swinging with the unevenness of their different gaits. Lance wasn’t a lot taller than Keith, but there was something definitely off about his torso to leg ratio. They turned the corner and Shiro stopped, his shoulders tense. 

     The house itself was short, stationed right at the corner of the street. Keith knew it had been Shiro’s family home, the one he had been left after his grandparents passed and his parents had moved to a small apartment closer to the city. He absently wondered why they weren’t visiting them, but Shiro had never brought up his parents before and that was reason enough to believe the relationship might be strained. The year and a half of neglect didn’t show from the outside, but when Shiro had to ram the door open, because why would he still have his house key after being kidnapped by aliens, the stale air of the house was a little frightening. Hunk reached for the light switch but the power didn’t come on, shut off after months of going unpaid. The furnishings were modern, almost as if all remnants of childhood had been removed. It was immaculate, the sheen layer of dust being the only clue that no one had lived here in awhile. With the clock turning back, the afternoon light streaming in the through the windows gave the living room the feel like it was crafted for a magazine. It was creepy. They were silent, hovering just inside the doorway as Shiro gathered his things; clothes, books, a few drawings from some of the neighborhood children. They stood in awkward silence until a pleased laugh was heard from further in the house. Shiro came practically running out, a small cactus in his hand. 

     “He survived! Guys look at how much Tsuna has grown!” ‘Tsuna’ was a small succulent whose leaves looked like the skin of a desert snake. Lance leaned in and eyed it, looking back and forth between Shiro’s pleased face and the mostly dead plant.

     “Are you sure that thing isn’t dead? I’m pretty sure plants are supposed to be green, not brown.” Shiro let out a bit of what could only be described as a noise of distress. 

     “Leave him alone! He was doing his best after not being cared for for over a year and a half! Plus, Snake Plants are very resilient succulents! They bounce back from everything! I’m taking him with me.” Though varying degrees of surprise appeared on their faces, no one objected to Shiro’s plant son. With his things gathered, they closed the door as best they could, considering the now broken lock, and started back towards the lion. Lance bumped Keith’s shoulder and held a hand up to initiate whisper talk. Keith raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned. 

     “Shiro seems to have a thing for taking in things that are small and prickly; must be why you guys are best bros!” Keith sent him a glare that could probably freeze hell over and whacked the back of his head. Lance made a displeased noise of hurt and rubbed his head. He mumbled low enough that Keith had to strain a little to hear, “See!” He whacked him in the head again. 

     They made it back, the rest of the team ignoring the Red and Blue Paladin’s usual bickering, no one being brave enough to ask about why they had been holding hands for most of the trip so far, and set off again; the next destination: Italy. They flew quickly over China, riding on top of the dense smog clouds, the high skyscrapers sometimes visible when they dipped low enough. They cleared it and soon they were over the sands of Iran and Turkey, Keith suddenly being reminded of his own home in the deserts of Arizona. He realized as he watched the sun crawl further back that despite being all over the known universe, traveling to planets hundreds of light-years away, he had seen so little of his own planet. He had lived in the states his whole life, never crossing far enough into the borders of Nevada and Texas to count it as a road trip. In a span of day he was going to see more of Earth than he had in the sad 17 years of his life. It was actually kind of amazing. Sometimes it was easy to forget that someplace as cool as Earth existed when you spend your waking days and nights fighting aliens in a giant lion mecha. He honestly still wasn’t over the fact that he was half alien, but after the past week he knew that now more than ever and he was surprisingly starting to be more okay with it. Allura still gave him looks of distrust and slight panic which was a bit of a blow to his already non existent self-esteem, but Lance, who was still the only one of the team to see him fully shifted, gave him looks of pure wonder and joy. It made him- happy. There was someone that knew the good and the ugly sides of him and was still willing to spend time with him; to be his friend. He swore to himself that it was part of his duty now too, to make sure that Lance was happy. The needed to be there for each other always; such was the way of forming Voltron. But Keith needed to be there for Lance, just as Lance was always there for him. His thoughts were interrupted when Pidge spoke quietly.

     “I’m taking a bit of a gamble here, guys. We actually have another apartment in Garrison family housing, but I don’t think my mom would have stayed there after- Yeah so.” They lurched a bit as the Green lion speed up at her Paladin’s thoughts of being home circled. Rolling green hills and red tiled roofs rounded up on their view. It all looked very organized in the sea of green, red, and white. They strayed away from the countryside, pulling to a more modernized city center. Pidge waved an arm out. “Welcome to Santa Rita guys!” if at all possible with each stop it seemed like it was becoming harder and harder to find a place to touch the gigantic lion down. Pidge waved off their concerns and flew in deeper towards a particular building. The roof was long and narrow, but flat. Green seemed to sense her unease and assisted in landing as gently as she could. By how hard Lance had gripped Keith’s hand, it seemed he wasn’t the only one that figured that they would plummet straight through. Pidge let out a whoop of success and clambered out of the Lion, the rest trailing more carefully behind. They got to a rooftop access door, and before Shiro could ask how that was going to help them get in, Pidge pulled a key out from within the soil of one of the plants sitting up top enjoying the sun. Shiro gave her a disappointed look and she shrugged as she unlocked the door.  

     “Matt and I used to come up here to stargaze. He made a key after we got locked out once.” She laughed a little to herself before putting the key back and held the door open for the rest of them. “Down we go!” It seemed like everything she said was slightly forced, like she was already preparing for the worst. She shuffled to the front and walked down the narrow hallway to a particular flat door. She took a deep breath before she knocked once, the rest of the paladins holding back as they did for Hunk. This wasn’t their moment. It was only a second more before the door open slowly to reveal a sleepy Mrs. Holt. Her eyes seemed to search before she looked down and her hands flew to cover her mouth, tears instantly appearing. 

     “Katie,  _ is it really you?”  _ Her thick Italian was strong in the early morning hours as she rushed to gather her daughter in her arms. 

     “Sì Mamma,” Pidge’s voice was small and weak. They pulled apart and Pidge sent a wobbly smile their way. Mrs. Holt seemed to notice them then, her face widening in surprise. 

     “ _ Thank goodness! Your crew members made it back as well!”  _ Her eyes landed on Shiro and a strange look over took her normally kind features. Pidge noticed and sighed. She pushed the door and gestured inside.

     “I have a lot to tell you about.” Mrs. Holt seemed concerned, but welcomed everyone in all the same. The flat was small and efficient, but cluttered with all sorts of forgotten technological projects hidden from plain sight. Dozens of family photos hung on the cream colored walls. Everything was very neutral, washed out aside from splashes of red in the curtains and throw pillows. It looked scarcely lived in, but considering that all but one of the Holts had vanished into space it wasn’t hard to see why. There was scuttling from further inside before a small gray bull terrier came running in, jumping straight for Pidge. She leaned down to scratch behind his ears.

     “Haha it’s good to see you to Bae Bae.” Said dog let out a bark of excitement before running to say hello to the newcomers. Keith hid behind Lance a little, unsure as what to do concerning the animal. Snakes he could handle, but a dog? Lance laughed a little and pulled him down, calming the dog down with one and guiding Keith’s hand with the other. Then he was petting the dog and his frown lightened up before he was laughing along with Lance at the overly hyper animal. A cough drew his attention up. Mrs. Holt was reaching a hand out to shake. 

     “I don’t believe I recognize you. Colleen Holt, Katie’s mother.” Keith stood and shook her hand lightly.

     “Keith Kogane. I was at the Garrison for a while before I left.” She gave him a funny look.

     “Left?” Lance let out a fake cough that sounded suspiciously like he said “Expelled!” Keith glared at him and elbowed him in the ribs making him actually cough through his snickers.

     “I stuck around for Shiro and after he was kidnapped there wasn’t much keeping me there.” She gasped at the same moment Lance let out an offended scoff.

     “Kidnapped?” She spoke at the same time Lance got into his face, his eyes narrowing as he said with a loud tone, “What about me? Did our rivalry mean nothing to you?!” He moved to feint, falling all over Keith, who rolled his eyes. 

     “Idiot. Part of the reason I left was so you could be a Fighter Pilot. Though I did forget you pretty quickly.” Lance pulled away quickly to look at him, a wide grin stretching onto his face.

     “You snitch! You did remember me when we rescued Shiro!”

     “Technically, I rescued Shiro-”

     “Hey if it hadn’t been for me, Blue would still be stuck in that gross cave!”

     “A cave I found, mind you-”

     “You are impossible!” Keith let out a little huff of laughter, but was struck silent by the sudden questioning thankfulness in his gaze. “Did you really leave so I could join Fighter?” Keith looked away and nodded a little.

     “I saw that sim you hacked and I couldn’t believe you weren’t Fighter class. When Shiro wasn’t there a part of me knew that if I left- well the Garrison was better off without me at that point.” There was a beat of silence between them before Lance reached down to lace their fingers together once more.

     “Thank you.” Keith blushed a little at the sincerity in his voice before turning back into the heated conversation forming between Mrs. Holt, Shiro and Pidge. They were briefly explaining Voltron, Pidge filling in the gaps in communication error, speaking soft italian. She reached and grabbed her mother’s hands a small excited smile on her face.

     “ _ I know you might not like me out in space fighting in a war to save the galaxy, but I’m so close- I’m so close to finding Matt and Dad. They’re out there and I’m going to find them and bring them home.”  _ Her tears were freely flowing as she gathered her daughter into her arms. Before she turned to level a sharp gaze at Shiro.

     “You keep my figlia safe out there.” Shiro gave a serious nod and looked briefly at the rest of the team who gave her all a range of nods of insurance. She sighed and gave a tired smile. “Well, come on piccol dolce, let’s calm down and you can tell me all about your space adventures. Drinks?” She got everyone waters and they relocated to the small living room, the mother and daughter taking one of the couches as Pidge started excitedly talking about all the alien technology that she’d seen and worked with. Her rapid Italian was lost to the rest of them it seemed, Lance was poking Hunk’s arm trying to get him to laugh without talking since Hunk had bet him that he couldn’t do it. Keith was having a hard time himself, keeping a straight face at Lance rolling around on the floor, when Shiro bumped his shoulder lightly. They had taken the other couch, but Keith was starting to wonder if this had been a bad move on his part; he wasn’t looking for a dad talk. He turned to glare at the older member, who quickly raised his arms in surrender.

     “Hey no need to be hostile, I was just going to see if you wanted to talk.” Keith didn’t lessen his dead stare, an uncomfortable turn in his stomach at what this was probably about.

     “Talk about what?” He knew that being defensive wasn’t going to make it better, but, well, old habits die hard. 

     “Well, I just wondered if anything had happened between you and Lance- your teamwork has gotten exponentially better over just this week alone. That and um, the jacket and the hand holding and the flirting and-” Keith threw his arms up and collapsed into the couch.

     “Stop! Just- oh my god, please stop.” Shiro gave him an apologetic smile and he blew air angrily out of his nose. He waited calmly for Keith to form a response, which only served to tick him off more. “No. Nothing has happened. We started hand to hand combat training and that seemed to fix all of our issues- you know, being able to beat the shit out of each other.” Shiro laughed before he leveled a all knowing gaze.

     “And everything else?” Keith buried his face into his hands.

     “Nope. Not talking about that with you. Especially not here- especially since nothing is happening or is going to happen.” Shiro gave him a sad look and put his hand on his shoulder causing Keith to look up at him. 

     “Have a little hope. I think that this is something new for both of you, and that’s okay.” Keith scoffed as his eyes slid over to Lance, who was now in Hunk’s lap making stupid faces at him.

     “Please. He knows exactly what to do- he’s a ladies man. And that’s just it Shiro; it’s a game I’ve already lost before I even got to the starting line. I should be happy with the fact that he even wants to be friends with me in the first place. I’m not going to ruin what we have now by gushing like a middle school girl about how his eyes sparkle and his smile makes me want to die of happiness. I just send praise to the heavens that, while he may be incredibly intelligent, he’s as oblivious as you are to Allura’s heart eyes on you.” Shiro sputtered before pinching the bridge of his nose and let out a long, slow sigh.

     “Kid, you’re a pot calling the kettle black. Maybe it’s time you stepped up to that starting line and took a leap head first in; it is your specialty after all. I think you might be surprised at what you find at the finish.” Keith looked at him, surprise written on his face causing Shiro to laugh a little. He flopped back and crossed his arms. A loud bark of laughter drew his attention to the floor where Lance was grinning cheekily at him.

     “Found number three! Jacket paws Keith! Look at your little finnies! You’re like swimming in my jacket! One of these days you are going to kill me.” Keith leveled his glare, his face burning with embarrassment.

     “You want to die right now?” Lance got out a laugh and a mouth of air, his response on his lips, when Keith launched himself off the couch and tackled him. Mrs. Holt let out a squeak of surprise, Pidge on her feet in an instant.

     “Guys! Not in my house! Get a hold of yourselves or so help me I will lock you both in the maze with no one to guide you!” Keith had managed to straddle Lance, but paused at Pidge’s words, Lance taking the opportunity to push him off and pull the hood up and over his eyes. 

     “Sorry Pidge! It’s just so easy to ruffle his feathers!” He turned to lean in and stared straight past the walls of ice shooting out of Keith’s eyes, his own sparkling with mirth. He whispered quiet enough that Keith was the only one that could hear it, “Four; tiny pissed off Keith. Nothin’ better than seeing you flustered.” Keith punched him, folding further into the jacket to hide his face that was now bright red. Mrs. Holt laughed and waved her daughter off.

     “ _ Ah, let them be. Young love is so special.”  _ Keith paused when she spoke. He didn’t know Italian but he was pretty sure he knew what ‘amore’ meant. Lance spazzed a bit from beside him. 

     “Amore?! Now wait!” She just laughed at them some more, everyone else joining in, Lance’s face growing redder by the minute. Keith couldn’t help it then; He giggled from underneath the hood. Their gazes locked and a smile began to inch onto Lance’s face before he was letting out little puffs of laughter too. 

     They all calmed down and Pidge was beginning to start the process of saying goodbye to her mother again. Lance stood and held a hand out to help Keith up. After he was pulled to his feet, a surprised noise left his mouth when Lance didn’t let go of his hand. He was looking away, his face still the same shade. A smile quirked on Keith’s face and he slowly leaned so their shoulders bumped.

     “So I guess you speak Italian too then.” He let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head with his other hand. 

     “Well I’m sure everyone knows what amore means, but yeah, actually, I do speak Italian.” Lance bumbled a little at Keith’s surprise.

     “How many languages do you know?!” Keith smacked himself mentally because he might have fucked up royally there, but this was number five! Lance seemed to pale and flailed a little bit.

     “Uh… I dunno? All of the major languages and a few of the more random ones? Altean too, I guess… I don’t know! I’m just really good at learning languages!” Keith’s mouth dropped open. All the main ones? What did that even cover? How many did he really know, considering that mystery alien language? He was absolutely blown away.

     “Lance that’s- that’s  _ amazing! _ ” He gave Keith a weak smile, but his eyes shone with pride.

     “Yeah, I guess it’s pretty cool, isn’t it? But, that’s to be expected from someone as awesome as me!” Normally, Keith wouldn’t have let him get away with such an egoistic statement, but he felt that this time it was warranted.

     “I guess you are pretty awesome; when it counts anyways.” Lance beamed at him then, the first real and genuine smile he had seen from him today. Keith smiled back, fondness seeping into his features.


	7. Chapter 7: The artistry of liking someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow y'all are so nice!!!!! :'))) Thank you for all your comments and kudos I love y'all so much!!! <3 I've been working on this mess for a while and it's really nice that people like it as much as I do! 100 Kudos guys like whoa!!! As I said this is one of my favorite chapters next to like 9 and 14 xDDD (Really y'all need to keep in tune for chapter 14 holy shit I died) my life is still a mess (it's getting worse yay!!) but this is a nice constant so happy reading!  
> -Enjoy!

     After Pidge gathered a bag of belongings- clothes and textbooks and such- they began the walk back to the roof as she slowly trailed behind with her mother. The sun was just beginning to break the clouds as Pidge turned the cloaking off again, the Green Lion’s metallic sheen glowed proudly in the light. Mrs. Holt’s mouth dropped open as she reached her enormous head down to let the other Paladins board. Pidge grinned and hugged her mother one last time before pulling back.

     “Addio, Mamma!” They watched her, her nightgown billowing in the wind of the lion’s jets as they rose higher and higher, her figure growing to nothing as Pidge turned the cloaking back on and they sped away and out to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Lance still hadn’t quite recovered from the mess that was the last hour, but he still turned to Keith with a teasing grin on his face.

     “Are you excited to go back to your precious shack in the desert?” Keith smirked and turned his head slowly, his face overshadowed by the hood of the jacket. 

     “Yes, in fact. I have several knives that will be nice to have back to deal with annoying and recurring problems in my life.” Lance gulped and laughed nervously at his fake smile as the rest of the team huffed out laughter at the two’s bickering. In all honesty, Keith was ready to see his home again. His trinkets, his bike, the rolling nothingness of the desert. It was his seed of strength, a testament of his ability to keep going even when he had lost everything. He looked back out to the wide expanse of ocean, the sun rising quickly as they flew across the globe making it shimmer. Just as fast they were crossing over Florida, approaching Arizona at a breakneck speed. Keith absently wondered if Green could sense Blue’s old residual energy. As she had done for the others, Pidge turned to Keith for further direction.

     “It’s like 100 miles southwest from the Garrison- you know the part not far off from the Grand Canyon.” She nodded. They all vaguely remembered the late night ride to his home out in the middle of the Arizona desert, but it had been 7 months since then. He gave specifics figuring that the lion could use them more. Even from within the lion, Keith could tell it was scolding outside. It was probably close to 3pm, the hottest part of the day and in Arizona no less. He smiled to himself as familiar terrain appeared before him and he gave more precise directions, recognizing rock patterns and discolorations. Soon enough, just over the shell of a formation, his small home lay. He felt Lance squeeze his hand and he turned back to smile at him. 

     Despite the negligence, it looked the same as it always had, the rocking chair still sitting on the broken wood of the front porch. It was barely a house by any standards, the roof close to collapse and the dark paneled siding peeling away. The sands of the surrounding land kicked up as Pidge carefully landed close to the house. As the others started filling out of the lion Keith refused to let go of Lance’s hand. He wasn’t sure why, but to come back here, not alone, but with his new family; it was something special. Shiro cared for him like a brother and he considered him as such,  but Lance? He was the first person that he had ever gotten close to purely by his actions alone, not out of necessity or need; because he wanted to. They had all seen his house before, but this time there was no rush, he could share his things and begin to show them what made him himself. He could begin to give back the trust that Lance had given him all those weeks, months, ago. 

     This time, he didn’t take them all the way around to the back door like he had back then, heading straight for the front door that would lead right into his makeshift bedroom. He pulled the door open before he could second guess himself, Lance in-tow looking like he was in better shape than the others in the sudden heat. He opened the connecting door to the main house before stepping back to let the others walk through to the living room. Pidge and Hunk alike collapsed onto the couch while Shiro turned to look at the wall still covered in conspiracy to his return and the hidden cave of the Blue Lion. Keith let go slowly of Lance’s hand to quickly move around his room. Lance only moved left to sit on his bed, his eyes wandering around the room in genuine interest. The light streaming in from behind the white sheet curtains in the living room was enough to light the small side room, the small uncovered light bulb hanging from the ceiling left turned off. Keith grabbed a bag from the corner and threw in the comb left on the sink stationed opposite across the room. He was thankful that the toilet was in the corner partially hidden by his large dresser in front of it; that was kind of weird to have the bathroom be literally in your bedroom. He reached into a box next to the door and pulled out several throwing knives and a few other blades that he had acquired over the years. He turned when he heard Lance swear.

     “Shit dude you weren’t kidding about the knife thing- that’s a lot of sharp pointy things. Remind me to never tick you off again lest my life be cut short.” Keith snorted as he wrapped them in the small collection of clothes he was bringing and stashed them into the bag. He paused to look at the top of his dresser, covered in his small treasures of travel. A piece of obsidian with a white chunk on it, a gift from Shiro that seemed even more fitting now then when he had received it. A twisted piece of metal from he snuck onto the roof of the Galaxy Garrison. A paper crane that someone had left on his desk by accident, but he thought was cool and took anyways. Some random piece of space rock that he stole from the lab specifically because he was told not to. A blue daisy dipped in resin, forever memorializing the failed attempt that Lance had made towards some forgotten student, but turned and met Keith for the first time, handing the flower over to him instead. The dresser was filled with the small useless but meaningful trinkets. He turned to pick up a small box that was left empty among all the knives and other things in the crate by the door, and carefully picked the flower out, placing it in the box and closing the lid to put in his bag. He threw the rock in there as well for shits and giggles. He turned back to Lance who was looking strangely content at the small collection on his dresser. Keith moved to crouch by the bed and Lance spazzed a little.

     “My man, what the hell are you doing?” Keith looked at him, his eyebrow raised in question, almost as high as Lance’s own.

     “I’m getting some of my stuff that’s under the bed?” Lance visibly relaxed and collapsed on the bed. Keith shook his head, still mystified by half the stuff Lance did on a daily basis. He pulled out a small tray that was hidden underneath, Lance moving to crawl over and see. Keith quickly put his journal into his bag; that was a can of worms that no one would ever witness so help him God. Lance made a small noise of interest at the remainder of the contents. What was left was Keith’s small hoard of art supplies. Graphite pencils and sticks, a charcoal kit, watercolors, acrylics, ink, gouache, and an seeming-less endless supply of paper for each medium. Sketchbooks of all sizes were littered throughout the mess, Keith made a grab for a few particular ones. He glanced up to see Lance eyeing him with curiosity. Keith blanched. He had to remember which sketchbooks were okay to show; he knew that there were a couple graphite drawings of a certain Cuban boy that was currently laying on his bed. Man he had it bad. He sighed in relief when he found the small one he used for geological colored sketches of the surrounding terrain of Arizona. He slid the tray back under before hopping up to sit next to Lance. He passed the small one over, hoping to keep him occupied enough that he could look in the others at least semi-privately. Lance eagerly snapped it up and began slowly flipping through the contents in awe. 

     “Keith! These are amazing! It looks so real!” He flushed a little under the praise, but accepted it nonetheless. Lance stopped to look critically at him, though no malice shone. “Where did you learn to draw like this?” Keith paused from looking at a particularly funny expression that he had managed to capture of Iverson after Lance had dumped a bucket of chalk dust on him. He held it up for Lance to see.

     “Practice.” Lance took one look at the drawing before he burst out laughing, Keith grinning along with him. He gripped his sides, the other sketchbook forgotten, tears forming in his eyes as he rolled around on the small bed. 

     “OH MY GOD! Keith! You did not! I remember that! Lemme see! Lemme see!” Keith laughed a little and passed it over closer for him to see. The page itself had several of the General’s best faces, many after Lance’s legendary pranks. He pointed at one where he was dripping wet, his glare expanding from beyond the page.

     “That’s from when you straight up just drive-by threw coffee in his face. God, he was so mad at you, but it was so fucking funny.” Lance fell into another fit of giggles before he gaped up at Keith, his eyes shimmering with something he couldn’t place. 

     “I can’t believe you remember that. That was one of my shining moments. He was so close to expelling me that day. I threatened that if he kicked me out I would just steal a ship and go to space anyways- which I totally would have done by the way- and I think he really thought I would do it so I just ended up with a month's worth of assist sims. It kinda sucked, but it was totally worth it for that face!” Keith huffed out a breath of laughter at his antics before Lance pointed to an unfinished sketch in the corner. Iverson’s face, though unfinished, showed genuine surprise; a feat not easily accomplished. Keith eyed it proudly.

     “That was seconds before he got super pissed when I hacked into the Garrison’s mainframe files to get information on the Kerberos mission and had put a ship into ready launch sequence in the bay. Got expelled for that face.” Lance’s head snapped from the drawing to Keith’s devious smile.

     “No! That’s why you got dropped?! You tried to launch yourself into space to get Shiro alone? Dude that’s so ballsy! I might have threatened it, but you actually went through with it.” He lightly punched him in the shoulder. He looked away, a sort of nervous smile inching its way onto his face.

     “When I had decided to get out, I had actually heard that that’s what you had said and thought it was the perfect way to go out with a bang. Either I succeeded and I stole a ship or I failed and got kicked out. Seemed fitting.” When he looked back Lance was looking at him with a strange look of pride. 

     “Glad I could be of assistance then! Though I’m surprised I didn’t get booted too considering all the shit we did. Remember when they caught us sword fighting on the roof?” Keith smiled warmly. That had been a night he wouldn’t forget any time soon. He had been in the common room polishing one of his blades when Lance had pounced on him, holding an empty claim to being awesome at sword fighting and challenged him to a duel on the roof. There was something about sneaking out to illegally fight with sharp weaponry on the top of a space training college in the middle of the night. In the end it was Lance’s overzealous calls of failure that alerted the stationeries and got them caught. It had been one of the most fun nights that Keith ever had in his long extended stay there. 

     He sent a grin back. “Or when you called a rematch by the shooting range. I’m glad we got caught before we actually did any shooting; you would have annihilated me.” Lance shot him a cheeky smile back.

     “That was kind of the point after you destroyed me at sword fighting. You even gave me the larger bade! Man, I still want that rematch. You name the type I can do it! Gun? Bow and arrow? Crossbow? I’ll crush you!” Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head, the move not distracting from the fondness in his features.

     “I don’t doubt that in the least, if your sniping skills are anything to go by.” Lance beamed at him.

     “Hell yeah.” The comment left the air clear and sweet, the shared look of challenge sparkling in their gazes. There was a beat of silence where neither moved, unsure of how to proceed, before Lance broke their staring match to make a move to turn the page in the sketchbook. Keith snapped out of his daze and slammed his hand down on top of the page. Lance looked startled at the action, generally surprised at the sudden response.

     “Uh. Don’t look at the other stuff. This is a pretty personal sketchbook actually.” Lance cocked his head and gave him a flat look.

     “You drawing people like one of those french girls?” Keith shook his head, confused.

     “I don’t know what that means, but no. It’s just got some embarrassing things in it that I didn’t ever expect to have to show.” Lance gave him a sly look.

     “Self portraits? Oh, wait, shit, did you draw your dick in there?”

     “What?! No! Jesus,  it’s just some character studies!”

     “Uh huh, that’s just what you want me to think cuz you don’t want me to see your dick.”

     “No! I mean- Ugh! Fine! Take the fucking thing! I think this conversation is worse than anything you could possibly say about the stuff in there.” Lance gave a fist pump of victory and greedily pulled the book into his lap as he sat up. He turned the page and laughed a little to himself. True to his first suggestion, it was filled with a few self portraits. They weren’t bad, but Keith wasn’t all too proud of them. There was only so much you could do when you’re looking at yourself without being bias. He was honestly surprised at how long Lance stared at the drawings, his fingers lightly tracing the lines on the page. There was a certain soft vulnerability in his face that had Keith mesmerized. He wished that he had time to pause and draw that look too. He seemed to snap out of it and with a slight dusting of a blush on his cheeks, turned the page again. The next few pages were filled with random academy students doing various things. The sketchbooks purpose literally being to capture people in different forms both of the body and the facial range. As he looked away, Keith held his breath when he heard the sound of the page turning once more. Lance’s breath caught when he saw what covered the next two pages, and several pages following; the rest of the sketchbook, in fact. It was all him. His winning smile, his charming winks, the silent frowns. Over and over, in a thousand different ways, dark graphite drawings of the Blue Paladin stood out against the creamy white of the paper. To Keith there was no number of drawings of Lance that he could do that would ever capture all of his natural beauty. He had always joked that his best feature was his good looks, but he certainly wasn’t lying about them. He had an ability to light up a room simply by smiling. A part of Keith had been jealous back then, but once he really got to know him; he understood. There was something so unique, so  _ Lance _ , that there was no person on earth quite like him. It was part of the reason that he wanted to take his sketchbooks back with him. To capture all the sides of him that he had missed. His courageousness. His self sacrifices. His love. Lance looked up at him, his eyes looking suspiciously wet.

     “Keith, these are amazing. I- thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good in my entire life.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh and Keith immediately reached over and pulled the sketchbook away from his lap. He scooted closer and looked Lance straight in the eyes, a determined look on his face. He gave a small smile.

     “I only draw what I see.” Lance’s face was shocked into wonderment and a small gasp left his mouth. Keith’s smile grew a little as a blush threatened to crawl onto his face; God this was embarrassing. Lance’s own smile grew huge before he quickly reached over and pulled Keith into a crushing hug, burying his face into his shoulder.

     “Dude, you can’t say shit like that. You’re killing me slowly with your blatant cuteness and sincerity. We might need to fight to get this under control or I’m not going to be able to handle this.” Keith held his breath.

     “And this is?” Lance was quiet for a while and Keith realized it was now or never. He might not ever get a chance like this again where he felt enough fake confidence to speak up about what he felt. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Lance. I like you. Like, a lot. And I don’t know how to deal with that. But you are important to me, and I can’t keep on pretending like what we have is just a statement of good friends.” His mouth snapped shut, his fake confidence fading just as quickly as it had appeared. There was beat of silence before Lance spoke quietly into the folds of his shirt, his breath warming Keith’s collarbone. 

     “I think I like-like you too.” A wide smile broke out across his face.  _ Lance liked him.  _ He hadn’t been imagining things. This was real and despite it all, attainable. They certainly didn’t have time for it and Keith didn’t know how these things worked, but at least he wasn’t stuck to silent pinning anymore. He felt warm inside and out, and he could finally understand why everyone always said it was like there were butterflies in his stomach; it really _ was _ like that. He would have gladly paid all the money in the world to freeze time so they could stay here like this forever; no war, no interruptions, just freedom to do what they wanted. It was in that small window that Keith figured he finally understood the saying ‘home is where the heart is.’ he smirked a little as he spoke quietly.

     “So… What now?” Lance pulled back with the same goofy smile on his face and a brilliant sparkle in his eyes.

     “What now? What now indeed! I think this means that I can hold your hand all the time now- You’ll never escape me!” He tackled Keith and squeezed the daylights out of him, his face smushed up against his stomach. Keith let out a deep rooted laugh, one he hadn’t let out in several years because it had been a long time since he was this genuinely happy. It was taking all of his will not to shift and thank God he didn’t; Shiro stood leaning against the door frame. He had the knowing smile on his face and Keith quickly whapped Lance on the back of the head. He pulled back, a teasing frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. 

     “Hey don’t back out on me now I’ve waited forever to get you back for all the unfair cuddles you’ve dragged me into when we were asleep!” Keith pointedly looked towards Shiro and Lance followed his gaze. He grew rather pale. “Oh, uh, hey Shiro.” He smiled lightly at the two but an air of seriousness still wafted from around him.

     “Hey you two, as great as this is, Hunk and Pidge can only be distracted by your old computer for so long. Unless you want them start 20 questions, we better head out soon.” They both nodded, carefully untangling themselves. He turned to leave, but not before he looked back, sending a chilling look straight at Lance. “You hurt my little brother and nothing in this universe will save you.” He said it with a smile and Keith had to roll his eyes when he heard Lance visibly swallow beside him. He made a move to throw one of his knives at his adoptive brother, who just laughed and backed out. He patted Lance on the shoulder and hopped up gathering the rest of his things quickly into his bag. Lance had not moved from the bed and Keith sighed.

     “Please ignore him. Come on we gotta go. It’s time for you to go home and see your family.” A panicked look overtook Lance’s face.

     “Oh Gods my family. Keith, I don’t know if I can do this.” Keith marched back over and held a hand out to help him off the bed.

     “Listen, I don’t know what’s got you all twisted about seeing your family and I’m not going to force you to tell me. The fact is, me and the rest of the Paladins with be there with you the whole time. You’ve got nothing to worry about. We will only stay as long as you want to.” If Keith had a specialty it was probably straightforwardness. Lance took his hand and let out a long breath, nodding to himself. 

     “Right. What’s the worst that could happen? Well, I know what the worst thing that could happen would be- that’s alright though cuz’ y’all don’t speak Spanish- okay, yeah, let’s do this! Gods, I’m going to die…” He was mostly mumbling to himself then in a weird mix of several languages that left Keith’s mind spinning. They walked out to the living room and Keith gave a critical look to Pidge, who was on the floor completely covered in wires with a guilty grin on her face. Hunk was on top of the desk with his arms at an odd angle holding up antenna, the same weak smile on his face.

     “Well, the good news is your computer works now! Bad news is you can’t use your radio and your backup generator is dead but! Dial Up!” Keith gave them a very unimpressed glare and absently wished he had a larger bag to take the rest of his stuff so he never had to come back here. He turned quickly to Shiro.

     “I’m ready to go.” He nodded as the Yellow and Green Paladins untangled themselves from the computer. To the others it looked like nothing had changed, but the mental shift was obvious enough as they made their way back to the Green Lion. Lance was a mess to say the least, giving everyone nervous smiles and shaky finger guns. Keith only let him make the others feel awkward and confused a second longer before he grabbed a hold of the overhead bar and wrapped his arm around his waist pulling him in close. He made a surprised noise, but turned his body inwards to play with the hem of his jacket that still rested on Keith’s shoulders. He stopped making eye contact with the rest of the team and Keith glared at them when they looked their way. 

     The short flight to Cuba left no time for them to prepare and when Pidge asked for further instruction all Lance could manage out was a quiet, “Varadero.” She had to thank her lion for having some sort of built in GPS as they flew in past the glittering blue oceans and white sands. It was just reaching one o’clock on the island making the whole place light up like a vacate paradise. Keith nudged Lance slightly and he seemed to give directions in a daze; on autopilot. They didn’t stray far from the beach, small villa homes in a green suburban gave off the Spanish charm known from the island itself. Flat roofs and large open windows were a familiar sight among the houses farther outside of the beach side resort hotels. Thankfully, there were large vats of land between houses that Pidge could touch the giant robotic space lion down. They landed and as they exited they were instantly hit with the distinct smell of sea salt and citrus, a slight breeze making the tree leaves dance. It was pleasantly warm and Keith was secretly glad he didn’t have to take the jacket off yet. Lance had a death grip on his hand and he looked like he was ready to faint as they walked the streets. The journey was quiet, none of them wanting to comment on Lance’s discomfort; especially not with Keith glaring daggers at anyone that so much as looked in their direction. Breaths halted as they stopped outside of a medium sized family home. The two story square building stood proudly as a white castle against the surrounding greenery. 

     The walk up to the front door was slow as they trailed behind Lance and Keith. The asphalt path was worn, a forgotten bicycle lying in the grass off the side next to a broken skateboard and slightly deflated ball. The closer they got to the door the more they noticed the sounds coming from inside. Young children screaming, a large crash, angry Spanish and a loud whack was all they got before Lance turned to give them a nervous smile. It faded a little when his eyes met Keith’s. He gave his hand a little squeeze before reaching to give a hard knock on the door. There was a pause in sound before someone yelled “I’ll get it!” Followed by a sharp, “No! Sit!” Before the door was thrown open. A woman who looked to be about 23 gazed out, her tanned skin tone a close match to Lance’s. Her mouth slowly opened, the slight breeze blowing her dark brown curls as she eyed Lance up and down. 

     “Lance?” He smiled sheepishly.


	8. Chapter 8: Lance's family is weird.exe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! good news- my life is starting to piece itself back together! I'm moving in July! Wow no one cares! but uh I got everything sorted out and where as my ass is going to get beat- my mental health is going to be on the upswing which means more content for y'all! (also its formal this weekend with my girlfriend and I'm so excited its the first time I've seen her in a month!!) but uh how bout that bfu ep? mothman? more bfu klance aus? sign me up xD this chapter is meh but its got some important info in it for Keith so! look forward to beach fun next chapter!  
> -Enjoy! :D

     “Uh, yeah, hi Rachel...” She gave him a sort of confused smile before opening the door wider.

     “Guys! Lance came back!” There was only a moment before two little bullets shot out and tackled his legs. Two youngsters around the ages of 4 and 5, one the spitting image of what Keith imagined a young Lance would have looked like and the other stick thin and pale. 

     “Uncle Lance!” The little boy, the one Keith recalled was named Miguel, shouted and seemed to hug Lance’s legs tighter. Finally, Keith could see some of the tension leak out of his form as he reached down to give them proper hugs. He pulled away to get a look at them as a wide smile spread across his face.

     “My, my look how big you’ve gotten! Claire, you look as lovely as you always do.” Miguel shouted in success while Claire hid her face back into his chest. Lance swung her up into his arms as he turned to look as the rest of the household was beginning to appear in the doorway. Lance seemed to grow nervous again and he turned quickly to give the team a big fake smile. “Let’s all go inside, alright? Nothing’s greater than a McClain family gathering!” There was a lot of shuffling, but steadily they found themselves all crowded in the medium sized living room, though it certainly didn’t feel like it. Keith marveled about just how big Lance’s family was. Introductions were slow as they went around, each member taking their time to hug Lance. What was interesting enough was just how surprised they all were. There had been tears with the Garretts and the Holts, but the McClains? They all were looking expectantly at Lance, as if they were waiting for an explanation, but seemed undisturbed by his nearly year long absence. There was his oldest sister, Lauren, who just smiled warmly at them all and mumbled quiet greetings. His older brother Sam and his wife Margaret; Sam’s large size close to Hunks seemed to be double his wife’s, who looked annoyed and tired still in her flight assistant uniform. Keith wondered if part of the reason that Lance and Hunk had become such good friends at the Garrison was because of his strong resemblance to his brother. They had met Rachel and her two kids, her husband Stephan out at the moment buying some groceries for the house. Lance’s father, Todd, was one of few words, but Keith had to admire his calming nature and large handlebar mustache. Mary, his mom, seemed to be the one that held on the longest, but spoke quiet Spanish in his ear. Lance seemed to shake in her arms before pulling back to answer in equally soft spoken Spanish.

      “ _ They don’t know anything.”  _ She nodded before turning to the rest of the team who was sitting awkwardly on the floor surrounded by the family members. 

     “Well! Introduce us to your friends, pez pequeño!” Lance seemed to laugh a little before waving his arms at them.

     “The cool one is Shiro, he’s our space dad! The tiny one of the floor being mauled by Miguel is Pidge; she is really smart so be careful what you say because she will use it against you! The one with the awful mullet and the frowny face is Keith. Don’t let him fool you though, he’s a big softy! And the big teddy bear is Hunk! He’s a great cook, but he will also hold a grudge for like 20 million years so again, be careful. And, um yeah that’s everybody! Princess Allura is on the ship still so you don’t get to meet her, but she’s beautiful. And there’s Coran- he’s like our weird crazy uncle, but like he has a better mustache than Papá!” Lance was starting to look more like himself the more he talked and they all let out a sigh of relief. Keith was glad that Lance was clearly feeling better, but the way that Margaret was eyeing him up was making him slightly uncomfortable. Their eyes made contact and suddenly she had a devilish grin on her face, her glasses glinting.

     “So I see you snatched yourself a boy toy then  _ Layance.”   _ Lance’s head snapped so fast Keith didn’t have time to register that she was one, talking about him, and two had said his name funny. Lance had taken a protective stance in front of him, but his posture made it still evident that he was nervous.

     “Fuck off Margaret! Keith isn’t- we’re not- it’s not like that!” It was like a subtle slap to the face and it pissed Keith off a little. He certainly wasn’t some ‘boy toy’ but the fact that Lance had backtracked so quickly, especially after earlier- he was about to say something he would have probably regretted when Margaret spoke again.

     “He’s wearing your jacket though.” Lance pointed an accusatory finger at her. 

     “He’s allowed to wear my jacket because his jacket is barely qualified as a one. And just so you know, Keith is not some materialistic thing. He is an important member of our team.” Keith deflated a little bit. Any further qualms that he might have let fester died when Lauren spoke hesitantly from behind Claire’s pigtails. 

     “Is he your Alma?” Keith had no idea what that meant, but by the way that Lance sputtered as his face turned bright red, he could make the assumption that it was fairly embarrassing.

     “Um, well, no- I mean I don’t know. It’s not something that I have really had time to think about, you know with the war and stuff. It’s too soon to tell anyways. It’s not like I have any experience-” He trailed off when Claire raised her small hand as high as she could. 

     “But aren’t you supposed to just know? That’s how you said it works.” By the looks of it, Pidge and Hunk were just as confused as Keith felt about what they were talking about. Shiro seemed to have the same knowing face as the rest of the family did. Lance rung his hands a little before he finally plopped down next to Keith. He sighed a little as he replied.

_      “Well, that’s what I thought, but finding your Soul is a lot harder than it seems. Maybe he is maybe he isn’t, but right now we’re not together so don’t pressure him with questions about it. None of the team knows about Sora, or me for that matter, so just- don’t. Please.”  _ He received various head nods from around the room. Keith knew one thing from all of that; the last pleading please. It worried him. What had that conversation been about? Before he could rest on it any further Miguel jumped out of Hunk’s lap and into his Uncle’s.

     “So what’s space like then?! Did you fight the mean purple guys?!” If Lance had looked up from his nephew we would have seen the surprised looks of the rest of team. Keith was shocked, even if he didn’t look like it on the outside. Those were some pretty specific questions to ask when they hadn’t said anything about where they had been or what they had been doing. Lance seemed unperturbed by the questions and answered them with similar vigor.  

     “Space is awesome! My friends and I go to new planets all the time and help loads of different aliens.” Miguel’s wide eyes pushed him to continue. “My friends and I are actually Paladins of Voltron. It’s our job to take down the Galra and protect the universe!” He turned to look sadly at his mother and father. “It’s actually why I haven’t been home.” Keith was almost bewildered over the fact that no one asked any further questions; like they had expected it. Rachel seemed to nod to herself.

     “That’s why you came to visit so soon.” Mary made a sort of gasp at Rachel’s statement.

     “I hardly say seven months is soon!” Rachel rolled her eyes at the same time Lance did.

     “That’s hardly a blip for him!” Keith watched the conversation, fascinated by it. He was surprised to see the familiar sparkle back in Lance’s eyes. Lance’s attention was drawn back to Miguel, who was poking his face.

     “Tell me about all the aliens!” Lance laughed before launching into a very in depth conversation about all of the different races they had met. Keith tuned out after he began the tale about the Balmara and it’s people, instead turning to look at the mystery that was the McClains. Keith could admit that he was the last person that you should go to to find out what the definition of family means, but something about this whole thing seemed weird to him. With Mrs. Garrett and Mrs. Holt it was clear as day they they had missed their children every second that they had been gone for the past couple months, but the McClains? It was like Lance had just returned from summer camp rather than space. They looked like they were surprised to see him back at all, and seemed undisturbed that he had been missing for the better half of a year, in space no less. It was kind of freaky. Keith’s suspicions only grew when he made eye contact with Hunk who seemed just as weirded out. He scooted closer to them, being as subtle about it as he could, though he doubted Lance would notice as he was fully retelling how they took down a Galran base. He whispered to him as quietly as he could, his eyes never leaving the other small child whose eyes were trained on him like a hawk.

     “This is weird right?” Hunk nodded vigorously. 

     “They’re all creepily okay with the fact that Lance has been fighting aliens in space. I mean, I’m not adopted so I don’t know if it’s different when your parents aren’t your real parents, but this is kinda upsetting? Like where the tears of joy that your missing son comes home?” Keith’s eyes widened.

     “Adopted? I didn’t know-” Hunk nodded again, keeping his voice low as he put his hand up as a barrier.

     “Yeah, yeah! He doesn’t talk about it so don’t feel bad about not knowing. He only told me cuz’ we were roommates at the Garrison and I had asked him why he never used visiting hours to call his family. He’s lived with them like his whole life, but when I asked him about his real parents he got all freaky distant.” Keith could understand to a structural level, but adoptive parents or not, it was still a weird reaction to it all. 

     “Does he not know anything about them?” Hunk seemed to ponder this before Pidge leaned in, apparently listening in on their conversation.

     “Don’t you remember when he got drunk on the roof that one time? You thought he was hiding something about it so you got him drunk to exploit him, but when you asked he just said something cryptic like ‘oh, my real family lives amongst the stars…’ or some shit.” Hunk seemed to nod to himself, remembering the incident. Keith was disturbed and a little proud that Hunk had gotten someone drunk for the sake of gathering information, but the information itself was odd.

     “Do you think he meant that they’re dead?” The color drained from Hunk’s face at his suggestion. 

     “God, I hope not! That makes me a terrible friend for getting him intoxicated to ask about his dead family!” Pidge cackled and Hunk glared at her. Keith was still confused. Logically it made sense, but the pieces weren’t adding up right. Why had he been so panicked about this trip? They didn’t have a bad relationship, or it at least looked like they didn’t. Lance had been so whimsical when he was reminiscing about what they used to do, but Keith realized that he had been vague about it. Could Lance have been talking about another family? Were his real parents somewhere else on earth wondering where he had gone? Keith discarded the idea almost immediately. It was stupid and frankly didn’t make any sense. Still Hunk was right; he was hiding something about the whole thing. Keith filed it away with the rest of the the unsolved mysteries about Lance. He looked over to see that Claire’s eyes were still trained on him. Slowly he beckoned her over, surprising they other two. He might not be able to solve the question about Lance’s origins, but he could still ask other questions. She made her way over and sat cross-legged in front of him, laser focused. 

     “Hey, do you know how many languages your Uncle speaks?” He inwardly cursed at himself for being so blunt, especially with a 4 year old who probably had no idea what he was talking about. She shrugged.

     “Uncle Layance knows lots of words. He and Abuela talk Spanish a lot, but he taught me fancy words at night sometimes when I got bad dreams.” Keith was intrigued. She had said his name funny, just like Margaret and the old woman had. He gave her his full attention.

     “What kinds of fancy words?” He wasn’t good with kids at all, and he thanked the heavens that Claire was intelligent enough to keep up good enough conversation.

     “Like Sposo and Quscgarvl. Mamá says it’s important to know your please and thanks yous.” Suddenly there was a tight feeling in Keith’s chest. Part of him said that this could just be a made up language between them, but the other part said after all he had learned about Lance, it could very well be a real language. But which one? It certainly nothing he recognized from earth. It was weirdly guttural and didn’t sound like the young girl had said it quite right. Thankfully he could rule out any alien languages since he couldn’t have known any before going into space. He was more confused than he was before, but Clair kept going. “Oh and Heilo! He talks about finding his Heilo all the time.” Keith gave her a questioning look, though his eyebrows were seconds from flying off his face.

     “What does Heilo mean?” She gave him a funny look. 

     “You know, Heilo! It’s another word for Alma!” Keith shook his head, not understanding the Spanish equivalent of the word either. She seemed distraught as she tried to think of how to explain it. She patted her chest. “Like your heart, but it’s not real?” Hunk chimed in.

     “Like your soul?” Claire squealed. 

     “Yes! Yes! He talks about finding his Soul a lot!” Keith wanted to ask her more but Miguel had called her over to make her listen to Lance talk about something involving a pool. He sat there lost about everything that had just happened. Why would he talk about finding his soul, and to a kid no less. He had never talked about it before on the ship, or even at the Garrison. Even putting that aside, what about this random language he was teaching his niece?  If he hadn’t seen him talking to that old woman with the other strange language, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it, something made between relatives, but it seemed that Lance knew a plethora of random languages. Keith was so confused, his normal displeased frown returning at full force when Hunk’s stomach let out a large growl from next to him. Mothering instincts honed in and Mrs. McClain laughed heartily at the boys. 

     “Come on now let’s all have some lunch then, hm?” Hunk grinned and hopped up to excitedly follow her to the small kitchen as the family burst into action. Keith had never seen anything like it. Suddenly, everyone was on a mission. The younger ones were throwing napkins as best they could onto the table, the older siblings pulling out extra chairs to the already crowded table and setting out paper plates. It was absolute chaos in a matter of seconds, but it was efficient. Keith was fascinated.  Hunk and Rachel had managed to get up a good system, cranking out sandwiches at a breakneck speed as everyone took their seats. As Keith stood he paused, unsure of how to proceed. He startled a little when Lance grabbed his hand and dragged him to the table, sitting him down next to him. He was slowly starting to understand what Lance had meant about the noise. It was loud, but not overly so; the kind of noise that once you got used to it, might be jarring to lose. Keith realized now that he hadn’t really noticed; the desert was quiet and space was quiet too. But for Lance it must be so weird to go from this to utter silence. 

     The sandwiches were distributed and soon they were all gathered, munching away at ham and cheese. There was a brief pause when Stephan returned from the store, bags galore, and they all got up to help. He didn’t seem all that surprised to see 5 extra faces among them and only asked for names. He was quiet, but Rachael seemed to do the talking for the both of them. He made eye contact with Keith as he leaned up against the counter after they had all settled back down. He gave him an all knowing smile and Keith ducked away, poking at his bread crumbs while Lance babbled on beside him. Stupid McClain’s and their stupid ability to snuff him out. The was a lapse in sound and Keith looked up to find an old woman standing in the doorway. He could feel Lance shake in his seat beside him and when he turned to glance at him out of the corner of his eye he could see that he was close to tears. His voice was soft but strong, standing out in the near silent room. 

     “Hola, Abuela.” No one moved or spoke. Even the young ones keep quiet, their small heads swiveling between Lance and his grandmother. Keith turned slowly to Lance as the old woman slowly began to give a wide smile. He carefully put a hand on his shoulder, effectively shaking him out of his fearful reservoir. They locked eyes and Keith tried his best to give him a gentle smile. There was a second more before a huge grin broke out and Lance jumped from his seat to run and wrap his arms around the little old woman. 

     “Hola, Layance. What a pleasant surprise! What on earth are you doing here? We all thought you went home,” Lance pulled back to shake his head. Keith could tell he wasn’t the only one confused with the odd phrasing, but before any of them could ask, Lance answered.

     “Can’t go home when I have to save the universe first.” She gave him a surprised look and laughed when Miguel jumped up to explain.

     “He’s the Blue Paladin of Voltron! He’s gotta blow up all the Galra!” He moved to perform a rather similar pose, letting out little “Pew Pews!” She patted Lance on the head and moved to hold on to his arm. 

     “Only here for a bit then eh? Well, you better make the most of it! Why don’t you all go down to the beach? Bet there wasn’t a lot of swimming up in space, hm?” Lance laughed and turned to the rest of them.

     “How about it gang? Wanna go see the legendary Varadero Beach?” 

     The good thing about having such a large family it seemed was that there was extra swimwear for everyone. When Lance had suggested that that they all take a break from their worldly travels to go down to the beach that he talked so highly of, no one in the team had had the heart to say no. Keith was weirdly excited to see what it was like. He had never really been to a beach before, but judging by not only Lance’s hyperactive nature towards it, but by the rest of the team as well; mean-less to say he was interested. He didn’t really know what people did at the beach, but he figured that like most things he did he would figure it out after he jumped right in so to speak. 

     The house was again set into a flurry of motion as the family gathered their things for a mid day outing. Miguel and Claire weaved in and around everyone as bags were packed. Keith noticed Lance bound down the stairs, chest bare save for the strap of a battered guitar, his navy swim trunks just brushing his knees. He almost barreled straight into Keith when his speed didn’t lessen despite the fact that he was no longer on the stairs. He grinned up at him sheepishly and Keith just rolled his eyes at him, used to Lance’s antics by now. He turned back when he felt a prodding finger poke his chest.

     “What’s with the shirt dude? Show off those rock hard abs!” Keith tried not to sputter about Lance making comments about his abdominal muscles and looked away when he felt his face start to heat up. 

     “I wanted to wear it alright? Got a problem?” Lance laughed a little at Keith’s defensiveness towards it, but didn’t press further. He shrugged and moved to pull Keith along with Pidge, who was looking adverse to the whole idea, out the door with the rest of the large group. The walk down to the actual beach was short, but they couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of Cuba. Even as they walked between the residential streets, the sun climbed higher in the sky, basking everything in a light that made it seem like it was a postcard come to life. Palm trees and green grass made it look like something out of a travel agencies binder. Keith felt a small seed of jealousy sprout at the thought that Lance got to grow up like this; a big family and a fairy tale of an island- it was everything he had ever wanted. He swallowed down the flashes of his fathers disproving face and endless seas of dirt to instead look to the ocean that stood out before him. He had flown over these same waters hours earlier, but the birds eye view hadn’t done it justice. The clear blue of the waves crashed against the impossibly white sands as families and couples alike ran along the edge, the water lapping at their ankles. Small sailboats road the horizon as snorkelers floated just past the reef. It was like a scene out of a movie. He startled a little when Lance clasped him hard on the back, giving him a little push.

     “It’s much more fun to go and experience it rather than just looking at it! Let’s go!” With a high pitched call, Lance sprinted off towards the water.


	9. Chapter 9: Turning Page

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah! I'm sorry I'm late! I had a doctors appointment and I forgot to post!! but here it is! One of my other favorite chapters for sure :)) if you wanna know what song Lance is singing because you either live under a rock or were to young to fully experience the Twilight craze- It's called Turning Page by Sleeping At Last! I love it so much (there's an acoustic cover by Ciara C. on YouTube 10/10 would recommend) anyways! finals week is upon us!!!! Doom is coming!!! but for now,   
> -Enjoy!

     Lauren sighed from beside Keith holding onto Lance’s forgotten guitar. She smiled warmly at him and nodded her head to where Mary and Todd were setting up the large umbrella. 

     “Come on now, you don’t look like a swimmer much. I can tell you have questions; why don’t you sit with us and I can try my best to answer them without jeopardizing anything.” Keith was taken back by her seemingly endless kindness and quickly followed her as his eyes tracked the rest of the Paladins take off after Lance. He laughed a little as he watched Hunk launch Pidge into the water, her screeching alerting a good portion of the rest of the beach goers. He gingerly laid a towel down and sat next to Lauren who was watching them with a similar fondness in her features. Her eyes roamed to a sand volleyball game happening a little ways down before she turned and gave an expectant look at Keith. He swallowed a little and looked back out to where Lance was splashing in the waist deep water, dunking Pidge further in before she popped back up and tackled him into the oncoming wave. 

     “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you all so weirdly calm about Lance coming back? Why were you so surprised?” She seemed to nod at the question, her gaze leveling out to her younger brother.

     “I guess you could say we were surprised because we didn’t expect to see him again.” Keith’s eyebrows drew together in concern before Lauren sighed. “Lance has always been a bit of a whirlwind. He simply sweeps into whatever he’s set his mind to doing and leaves a wake of destruction before twirling away again. He appeared one day to us and made himself a part of the McClain family, but we knew he was always meant for greater things. We had always expected him to leave one day for good and when he did months ago I’d hardly say we were surprised then. Sure, we were sad to see him leave, but we knew he had to.” Keith had turned to look at the saddened look that had overtaken her face. She closed her eyes and smiled before turning to look at him. “He had always said that he would come back, but we didn’t expect him back so soon.” Keith was almost afraid to ask, but his mouth ran on.

     “When exactly did you expect him to come back?” She turned away again.

     “Years from now; when Abuela was long gone to us, my hair gray and Miguel old enough to chase his dreams to the Garrison.” Keith’s eyes widened. They had been expecting to not see Lance for some odd 15 to upwards of  _ 20 years?!  _ He couldn’t stop his next question from rushing out,

     “But, Why?!” Her smile only grew as she turned back to him.

     “That you will have to find out for yourself. That is not my secret to tell, but if you are truly Lance’s Alma, you will be the first person he tells. Simply put; if you put your faith and trust in him he will return the favor tenfold. It is one of fundamental qualities that makes him who he is.” 

     Keith had to force himself to nod slowly at her before turning away again. He knew probably better than anyone else on the team that Lance was someone you could confide in, to go to when you were troubled and he would drop whatever he was doing to help. He was selfless like that. He had done nothing but help Keith when he found out about his ability to shift and had promised not to tell the others until he was ready; and Keith  _ did  _ trust him fully for that. There was an unspoken trust between all of the Paladins obviously, whether it be to form Voltron or simply back each other in battle. But with Lance- well the only other person he trusted as much was Shiro and even then nowadays it seemed like the scale was tipping. Keith liked to think he was trusting enough and he had tried hard not to push topics that he knew Lance was sensitive towards; as he had done the same for him. He did admit a part of himself felt guilty for going behind his back to find out more about the topics of interest, but he knew that Lance wasn’t going to tell him. Sure Keith might trust him, but he realized he hadn’t really given much reason for Lance to trust  _ him _ . They bickered, they fought, they trained, but it was dawning on him that Lance hadn’t ever really had a reason to trust him anymore over the other Paladins. He might have made a step in the right direction with this journey, but this secret that Lance fought so hard to hide wasn’t something that was going to be revealed so easily. 

     Keith’s eyebrows furrowed as he was struck with trying coming up with a way build more trust between them when a face come disturbingly close to his suddenly. Cool violet eyes met the sparkling ultramarine of the others that he had so recently become more acquainted with. Droplets of water fell from dark chestnut hair where it disappeared onto the lean chest below. Keith’s gaze never left the face in front of him however.  Even in the shade of the umbrella, Lance’s skin shimmered with that unknown glint and it wasn’t until Lance cocked his head to the side in question that Keith realized he had been staring. He cleared his throat and leaned back a little. Lance continued to look expectantly at him and Keith raised an eyebrow at him. All of a sudden he lunged forward and booped him on the nose and let out a exuberant laugh. Keith sputtered as Lance flopped over, giggles spilling over and mingling with the small chuckles of laughter Lauren let out beside him. He rubbed his nose and glared at Lance who was steadily getting back up. Lance just winked at him before grabbing his hand and pulling him up with strength Keith often forgot he had.

     “Come on, stop mooching up to the rest of my family and actually enjoy yourself for once. We probably won’t get a break as good as this one for a while!” The aura of mirth didn’t dim as Keith let out a displeased huff.

     “What if I was enjoying myself being far away from you in the shade?” Lance gave him a flat look.

     “You need to work on your bullshitting skills if you’re ever going to be any sort of diplomat.” 

     “Hey!”

     “Oh sorry are you sensitive about that? It’s alright I’m a champion at it; I’ll help you out.”

     Lance let out a high kee as Keith charged and punched him in the gut. He smirked when Lance doubled over and turned to glare at him.

     “ _ Oh sorry  _ are you sensitive to that?”

     “You motherfu-”

     The rest of Lance’s curse got swallowed up when Keith feigned another punch before swinging his leg out to knock him onto the ground. Then, like any good paladin, Keith booked it for the waiting water as Lance’s scream of frustration followed him at a breakneck speed. Keith, however, underestimated the physics of the lapping tides and his level of buoyancy.

     He fell face first into the water. 

     When he resurfaced he pushed his bangs back only to reveal a near bursting Hunk and Pidge, Shiro, who had a hand over his mouth, but was doing nothing to hide his entertainment, and Lance who was standing with his mouth wide open. It was quiet for all of a second before they all burst into laughter. Keith crossed his arms and was not ashamed to say, put on a big pout. Officially ticked off, he lunged for the closest thing- Pidge- and reached from under the water to pull her legs out from under her. She let out a shrill scream and Keith smiled victoriously. From then on out it was a full on water war. There wasn’t teams. but if there was Shiro was a team all by his lonesome. He was still by far the strongest member and he let them know it by pushing massive waves straight at their awaiting faces and power-lifting Lance and chucking him further out. Hunk wasn’t any better, knowing full well his buoyancy, and efficiently drowning the rest of them out with body slams. Pidge apparently needed to uphold her title as a snake, gliding through the water to sneak attack jump up behind, latching onto Keith’s neck before becoming dead weight and dragging him backwards into the water. Lance was a splasher to no one’s surprise but that didn’t mean small bursts of salt water to the face were any less pleasant.

      It was truly a sight to behold; a fleeting moment of pure peace and bliss. No war. No fear. Just the reflection, jewels of light refracted from the water raining down from the sky like drops from the heavens. Their movements playing in slow motion as the waves crashed around them. Shiro’s arm shined bright enough to blind, the piece of otherworldly metal overlaying the glow of rich purple underneath. The orange tassels of Hunk’s headband swung madly as he moved, the bright persimmon color practically glowing in the sunlight. Pidge didn’t leave the glasses behind obviously, but she now risked losing them every time she got dragged under, her signature Holt hair a huge wet frizzy mess in the humidity. Keith could feel the ends of his hair curling against his neck but it did nothing to budge the smirk upon his lips. Lance of course was on a league of his own. If his skin had shimmered in the shade, then it was simply incandescent in the full rays of the sun. He had such a way of radiating such a pure sense of light, his body moving so fluently in the water he looked like he didn’t belong anywhere else. God, Keith was so gay. 

     It wasn’t long before Sam and Rachel jumped in to escalate the matter further. Other beach goers gave their small section of the water a wide berth to hopefully stay out of the path of totality. Claire and Miguel couldn’t swim out to where the action was happening so they stayed put on the white sands building sculptures with Lauren and Mary. Keith couldn’t deny that this was some of the most fun that he had had in awhile, his challenging grin growing wider as the battle continued. He didn’t notice the sun going lower until their attacks began to become weak and Pidge defaulted to floating dead in the water. Hunks stomach let out a large growl and they looked at each other before letting out large bouts of laughter. 

     “Seems like Hunk’s stomach says it’s time we take a break to eat.” Shiro smiled warmly and no one could disagree, beginning the trek back inland. While they had been distracted, Todd had made a small fire farther inland. Shaking off the excess water, they all quickly moved to help shuffle all of their stuff towards the flame. The towels were laid back out around the slowly growing fire as the five Paladins and the McClains’ gathered. Sam pulled the cooler around and began handing out some sort of lettuce wrap to everyone while Lauren got small plates for the pasta salad. Keith wasn’t sure what to do after he was handed a plate, but he was quickly sat down by someone before Mary’s face was in his, carefully pulling back his now unruly bangs.

     “Here dear, let me help.” She use a hair clip that she had pulled out of nowhere really, and pinned them back. Keith nodded thankfully to her before a fork was being placed in his hand. Hunk plopped down beside him after giving him the utensil and began to eat feverishly. In the fading light of the sun the rest of the group began to eat slowly, watching the sky turn into a gradient from orange to violet. Keith looked over his eyes met Lance’s and he watched as he gave him a warm smile. He felt his cheeks heat up, only causing Lance’s smile to grow. It was broken when Lance reached for the guitar that they had forgotten about. Once again it’s strap was pulled over his bare chest as its dark stained wood rested in the cross-legged lap of its owner. The group began to quiet down as he strummed a few test chords, adjusting the strings as he played. There was something mesmerizing about the way the fire flicked and cast a red glow onto him. There was one last moment where Lance looked up and made contact with Keith, time slowing down and the world around them blurring. He didn’t say anything out loud, but Keith could tell the message was written in his gaze.  _ Listen to me.  _ He began to play.

     The notes were simple, one chord progression strummed. It was pleasant to listen to, a calming melody that played any later would have been a lullaby. Keith would have been complacent to sit and simply listen to the notes by themselves, but Lance began to sing. 

     “I’ve waited a hundred years, But I’d wait a million more for you.”

     His voice was quiet and wasn’t higher or lower than his normal speaking tone. But it was the unreadable emotion swimming in his eyes that left Keith unable to look away even if he had wanted to.

     “Nothing prepared me for, What the privilege of being yours would do.” 

“If I had only felt the warmth within your touch, If I had only seen how you smile when you blush. Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough,”

     It was so clearly a love song, Lance’s eyes closed as he sang the words so carefully, his fingers gently strumming the strings, the resonance of notes curling as a protective blanket around the purposeful but subtle vibrato. Suddenly Lance’s eyes met his and Keith couldn’t stop the small inhale of breath was Lance sung to him. 

     “Well, I would have known what I was living for all along. What I’ve been living for.” 

     As he turned back to the strings, Keith was left with his lips still parted in surprise. So much deep rooted emotion flowed through his words, so much meaning. It almost seemed as if...

     “Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain.”

     “Every kiss is a cursive line, every touch is a redefining phrase.”

     “I surrender who I’ve been for who you are. Nothing makes me stronger than- your fragile heart.”

     Keith hadn’t felt like this since the night he sat so alone in the middle of the desert, the last of his makeshift family gone. His eyes twinged and his hands balled into fists as Lance continued to play, unperturbed by his internal conflict at the walls of his closely guarded ability to ignore his hearts demands slowly crumbled. 

     “If I had only felt how it feels to be yours, well I would have known what I’ve been living for all along,”

     “What I’ve been living for.”

     As Lance played more intently the gentle melody Keith felt his resolve fall. A tear fell. Then another. And suddenly he was crying ever so silently, his mouth pulled in a wobbly frown as he tried so desperately to pull himself together. This was neither the time or the place. The notes slowed down again and as Keith wiped his eyes, he opened them to Lance smiling softly at him.

     “Though its tethered to the story we must tell, when I saw you, well I knew we’d tell it well. With a whisper, we will tame the vicious scenes, Like a feather, bringing kingdoms to their knees.”

     The notes faded out as Lance practically glowed by the fire light. Keith couldn’t think of a time he’d looked so graceful. He had been crying, but now all he could feel was the laughter bubbling up from inside. What started out as a huff of disbelief turned into a deep laugh filled with watery smiles. Lance was laughing too he vaguely registered, and when their eyes met again, Keith didn’t even try to stop the wide smile from stretching across his face. Lance’s smile was just as blinding before he returned to strumming random melodies to lighten the mood more. Keith could tell that Hunk and Pidge were looking at him, but the second he caught Shiro’s knowing face, he looked down, cheeks turning a bright red that was visible even in the light of the fire. 

     With the soothing notes of the guitar filled the small space above, Keith closed his eyes and leaned back. Memories from before, memories from now. Lance who once was a nobody that he hadn’t spared a single glance, now arguably his closest friend, his long time crush. All that time spent watching him when he disrupted class, compromising missions; Saved them all, caring so deeply for the well being of his teammates. Trusting him with information about what made him who he was. Keith berated himself for not making Lance feel like he could tell him everything yet, but he let the hinged anger seep out. He might not feel the same level of trust yet, but progress was being made, if that song was anything to go by. They had reached a landing and it was up to Keith to keep pushing them further up the stairs. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to do it. He had already thrown all of his cards out; shifting, training, his art- he didn’t have anything left to give. Nothing that he could do could show the same level of passion and deep rooted  _ love  _ as the lyrics of that song, next to tackling him and smacking their lips together like he had been so close to doing. 

     He opened his eyes to the star covered sky. No matter where they were in the galaxy, the stars never looked as amazing as they did from the surface of Earth. A frown pulled at his lips. He was being too sappy and sentimental, the rest of the team was going to notice and ask if he was sick or something. The notes faded out and he slowly sat back up to everyone tiredly picking themselves up to head back. The noise of the other beach goers faded into the background as they made the trek back to the McCain’s family home. Claire and Miguel had fallen asleep in Lauren and Rachel’s arms, head lulling against the movement of the uneven path. The air around them chilled and the breeze whipped through their hair, Keith thankful for the clip pinning his back as Pidge’s continued to smack her in the face. They made it back to the house in one piece however and as they all shuffled in, Stephen and Rachel took the young ones up to bed. 

     They all slowly changed back into their clothes of choosing and Keith watched as Lance scurried around his room. Keith had flopped down on the small twin bed as he waited for Lance to pack up his collection of things. The room was barely that, a closet really, and it was about a clean as Lance’s room up on the Castle-ship. There was a strange organization to it though, piles of books, clothes, music. It made Keith realize that there was a lot about Lance he didn’t ever really take the time to learn, what kind of person he was before their mission, before the Garrison even. The small bookshelf saddled against the wall was full of scientific textbooks among different books on the evolution of different types of languages. French, German, Latin, Spanish, Japanese; the list went on and on. Keith thought he should stop being so surprised at this point, but every time he learned more about the fundamentals that made Lance who he was, he couldn’t help but be shocked and frankly more confused. Lance had always made it a point to express that Hunk and Pidge were ten times as smart as he was, but the more Keith learned made it seem like that simply wasn’t true. Lance was smart; in his own way. He may not be able to calculate the trajectory of an incoming ship or repair faulty wiring, but he could speak probably a dozen languages, was a fantastic shot, and was so selfless and brave. How he could think that he was a lesser member of the team was boggling to Keith. He made a mental note to voice his pride in his teammate more often. He was startled out of his head when Lance poked the side of his face hard.

     “Whatcha thinking about? You’ve got your thinking face on!” Keith rubbed the side of his face and grumbled. A thought struck him quickly and he gave a sly side eye at the other teen.

     “You.” He said it without breaking eye contact and was satisfied when Lance’s cheeks turned red quickly. He was only fazed for a moment before he let out a laugh and turned away with his hands on his hips.

     “Ha! Doesn’t surprise me that you got stuck thinking about this handsome face. I am the most dashing member of our team.” 

     “Only in your Dreams, McClain.”

     “Only in yours, Kogane.” Now it was Keith’s turn to blush bright red. He had been played. He crossed his arms and huffed. Lance just laughed before grabbing his bag and pulled Keith up off the bed. 

     “Come on Red Sea, goodbyes are in order.” They slowly descended downstairs and rounded to the living room which had once again been filled to the brim with both parties. There became an awkward silence as the team came to the same conclusion; it was time to return. Lance reached to turn and hug his grandmother first. She whispered something into his ear and Lance nodded at her, a weak smile growing as he turned to the rest of his extended family. 

     “Well this is goodbye, officially this time. It was really good to see all of you again- and I promise I come and visit once I’ve got it all sorted out up there!” Sam was the first to pick Lance up and deliver a bone crushing hug.

     “Once a McClain, always a McClain- don’t ever forget that!” Lance laughed and scratched the back of his head, a light blush on his cheeks.

     “Oh, I won’t!” They laughed again before Lance was being passed around to be hugged from all sides. It wasn’t long before the rest of the team were pulled into the circle of hugs. When Keith was wrapped in Mary’s arms he was hit again with that sudden sense of belonging before she pulled back and whispered into his ear.

     “Take care of my pez pequeño, Alma” He could only nod as she moved on to squeeze the life out of Pidge. He was unsure why she had called him ‘soul’ but he had a hunch that it wasn’t a bad thing. The moment seemed to last for hours and only a second at the same time, but suddenly Lance was taking his hand and pulling him along as the rest of the team tumbled out the door, the rest of the McClain family idly waving goodbye. They looked nothing like how the other goodbyes had been, showing full smiles and laughs as they turned to walk back to Green. The evening breeze made Keith shudder and he subconsciously moved in closer to Lance, who had taken his jacket back  The look on his face had morphed to something liken to pain. Keith chalked it up to having to say goodbye to his family, but something didn’t sit right with him. No one spoke as they returned to the lion, much like the journey from the lion had been hours earlier. The silence was tense as each of them slowly accepted that this would be the last time they would probably see Earth for a long time, if even again. They boarded and slowly lifted into the atmosphere before silently shooting off, leaving their blue home to grow smaller as they flew away. Still no one spoke as they docked and re-entered the hanger, choosing instead to walk back to the main deck to meet back up with Allura and Coran. When they did meet up Coran broke into a flurry to know everything about their trip and Hunk happily obliged, proudly displaying his cookbook. Allura looked over at the two of them, her blasé look melting to a cold face of displeasure at the sight of Keith. He sighed internally and hoped she would get over herself soon. Lance patted his shoulder and turned to leave. Keith didn’t argue and only stuck around for a few more minutes before the Princess’s glare became too uncomfortable to ignore. He quickly excused himself to his room to unpack. 

     Later, as he was casually laying on his bed sharpening one of his throwing knives that had grown dull with time, there was a quick and solid knock on his door. There was only one person that knocked like that- 


	10. Chapter 10: True Colors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ello my friends it tis I!!!! Thank you and welcome to our weekly broadcast of "Alex doesn't fucking know how to write but is doing it anyways because why the fuck not?" but seriously! thanks for sticking around! I feel like reaching chapter 10 should be some sort of accomplishment but honestly I was more pumped for making 60k soooo xD The good news is, is that I'm slowly getting back into writing every other day so I hopefully wont run out of material 5 weeks from now (I am moving much sooner!! like a week from now!!!) xD This chapter is just fluff. Literally that's it.   
> -Enjoy!

     “Yo! I thought you might want to know I just got a hit on what that mysterious language was.” She had busted in without waiting for a response from the rooms resident. Keith would normally try and feign indifference, but he was too interested. A part of him knew that this was wrong, going behind Lance’s back to find out things about him that he didn’t want him to know, but at the same time; Keith could simply blame it on curiosity or safety or something equally passive. Pidge rushed over with her laptop and bounced up onto the bed, narrowly missing being impaled as Keith moved at the same moment. She eyed him until he put the knife away before turning the computer around and shoved it in his face. 

      “It’s apparently one of the native languages of this huge planet called Sora. It’s on the opposite side of the universe from Earth, but it’s the same size of Jupiter basically.” Keith nodded to himself. Alright so Lance knows this random alien language from a seeming random part of the universe. He scowled. That didn’t help at all. 

      “Okay, but why would he learn that language in the first place? Is there something about the planet itself?” Pidge gave a half hearted shrug. 

      “Not really. According to the records that we have on it, for the past 10,000 years not much has happened since Altea was destroyed. The queen at the time signed a peace treaty with Zarkon to mine the planet for resources, but what’s there isn’t obtainable by outside forces so it’s been mostly idle. There’s only one active Galran base on site now.” Pidge paused in her explanation to look at Keith, who’s eyebrows had pulled together in concentration. 

      “Then why?” Keith was stumped. Nothing about the planet seemed like it would be of any interest to the Blue Paladin. Pidge looked thoughtful for a moment before adding,

     “Well the planet is mostly made of water with only a few large continents. Its population is made up of an avian and aquatic race.” Keith paused.

     “Like bird and fish creatures?”

     “Bird and fish  _ people _ . Like mermaids and angels” Keith’s eyebrows shot up. Now that did sound like Lance. He was fascinated with the ocean and the creatures in it. If there was a planet that had merpeople on it, leave it to Lance to find it and learn their language. Though then came the question as to why he was hiding it. Keith hadn’t the faintest idea as to why. Even if it was for a selfish reason, all he would have to say is that it was for diplomatic reasons and no one would bat an eyelash to it. Pidge stared at him quizzically.

     “So what are you going to do now?” Keith reached for the small shell he had bought from Dolra the few weeks prior; the beginning of this whole mess. The opal inside looked dim in the low light of his room, the dark blues of the stone flowing like the unknown depths of the waters back on Earth. He fought the urge to release a large sigh.

     “I don’t know. It seems like an open and shut case considering the inhabitants of the planet, but something about the whole thing still bothers me.” Pidge nodded absently before standing and pulling the computer with her.

     “Well, yeah, considering the one he learned was the one for the Air Sora, not the Water Sora.” As she reached the door and turned back at him, a strange look on her face. She shook her head, her hair bouncing with the movement. “Maybe you’d figure it out if you just asked him about it rather than sneaking around behind his back.” Without saying anything more, she left the room leaving Keith sitting conflicted on his bed. Ask Lance about it? I’d be like pulling teeth- Lance wasn’t going to answer him if he asked so directly. Lance could have learned both, or simply chose the wrong one, but without asking him there was no way to know- But maybe if he asked indirectly… A plan was steadily forming and he would need time to execute it, but it was his best shot.

     He pondered the idea on his way to the shower, taking time to scrub the sea salt and sand from his body. It was lethargic and the warm water helped to clear his mind a little. He needed to talk to Lance; not about Sora, but about the beach too. The guitar, the song- Keith was pretty confident that he knew what it had meant, but he was still so new to this whole “my crush actually likes me back” thing and he wasn’t particularly good with people on a good day so he didn’t want to go into this by making assumptions. He liked Lance a lot, more than he probably should considering everything, but if the 2 years that he had known him didn’t pray tell; the last two weeks definitely did. When they had been launched into space with little information regarding what they were being signed up for, Keith suddenly had lost all capability dealing with how to interact with others. Lance seemed to try and pick a fight with him every chance he got, Shiro was trying to deal with everything that had happened to him, Pidge he had only known by name, and he had never met Hunk- let alone the Princess and her adviser. He was overwhelmed by suddenly be surrounded by so many people after being alone in the desert alone for the better half of a year. It wasn’t long before everything ticked him off to no end, Lance’s antics especially. He was tied between wanting to deck him or kiss him so he opted for ignoring him completely. And it would have worked too, but his heart had different ideas. His big fat gay crush had only grown after seeing Lance fight so selflessly for the others, himself included. Suddenly he was spiraling down into a hole he couldn’t get out of. And the second,  _ the second  _ he gave up trying to be cold and distant, Lance had warmed up to him again and it was like he had never left the Garrison in the first place. The golden trio welcomed him with open arms and Keith had somehow acquired more friends, more family, than he had ever had before. Being friends with Lance again was more than he could have hoped for, but it was steadily getting harder and harder to not let his feelings slip up. Keith smiled to himself now, knowing that he didn’t really have to hide them anymore, though he wasn’t sure if he should really let Lance know just how much he liked him. He wondered if he was too young to be having these sort of thoughts and feelings for someone; he was only 18 after all. Didn’t most people fall in love later in life? Then again he was fighting a war in space so.

      He toweled off and slipped into more comfortable clothes before he quickly walked out and across the hall to Lance’s room. He squared his shoulders before knocking. There was some rustling inside before the door slid open to reveal a very rough around the edges Lance. He seemed to be squinting slightly in the light of the hallway, his room dimly lit behind him. He looked like he was about to collapse where he stood, a surprised frown pulling his demeanor down more.

      “Oh, Keith. Hey. Did you need something?” His breath was short and Keith could tell he was trying desperately to hold it together. He knew it was bad but he wasn’t expecting it to be so much so. 

     “Can I come in?” Keith asked quietly, almost afraid that he might spook him off like some sort of wild animal. Lance took a long look at him before he nodded slowly and stepped back to let him in. The floor was void of the usual array of clothes and he guessed that it had been cleaned in a mad rush to occupy the mind with some menial task. The door slid close and there was a minute of tense silence where neither of them moved. Lance looked away and moved to sit on his bed. Keith slowly walked over and sat close to him, their knees brushing. He could see the guitar leaning in the corner of the room and seeing it helped him remember why he was here; operation make sure Lance is okay and cheer him up. Keith let out a little breath and closed his eyes.

     “Thank you.” Keith’s voice was slightly unsteady. He opened his eyes to find Lance staring at him, surprised. He blanched a bit under his gaze but didn’t look away.

     “What for?” Lance’s voice had gotten quieter, a hair above a whisper. Keith smiled a little as he looked down.

     “I- a lot of things. I realized that I have never said thank you for all that you’ve done.” If possible, Lance’s eyes grew wider at the comment. He didn’t look completely convinced so Keith continued. 

     “For being my friend, I guess. For helping when I didn’t know what to do about the whole part Galra thing. For putting up with my bullshit everyday.” That got a small huff of laughter of of him before Keith paused and looked up to find his eyes trained on him. “For liking me and pushing me to be a better person.” Neither of them spoke for a moment, the silence of the room surrounding them. Lance was hesitant before reaching out to grab Keith’s hand. 

     “Can I ask what spurred this on? Not that I don’t appreciate it, but hearing it come from you is- well it’s weird.” Keith had to laugh a little to himself. They were almost whispering, like someone was listening as they talked about their feelings. Lance was right though; this probably was weird and out of character for him. He couldn’t quite answer though, his real reasons stuck in his throat. Instead he turned and gave Lance a wider smile. 

     “I liked the song, by the way.” Lance shook a little and rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand nervously, his face becoming increasingly flushed. 

     “Ha, yeah- I haven’t ever played that song in front of people before…” Keith cocked his head in question.

     “Why not?” Lance’s eyes moved to focus on their hands, still together, before giving a small but warm smile. 

     “Well to be honest I haven’t ever had someone to play it to.” A blush rose to Keith’s cheeks and a flustered silence broke out between the two of them. The fairy lights that were strung around the room almost seemed too bright, like it would have been more appropriate to have this conversation in the dark. Lance looked like a mess, his hair stuck up in all different directions from anxiously running his fingers through it. He still shimmered in the low light and Keith had to admit he looked a bit like a fallen angel, as cheesy as it sounded. (Keith would never submit, but he liked to watch romcoms and read Shoujo manga so he was a bit of a romantic at heart) Despite all the praise, however, Lance still looked like he was marginally upset. Keith sighed to himself. This wasn’t going to right itself without assistance. He stood and pulled Lance up with him, shoving him towards his closet.

     “Get yourself cleaned up, I’ll be here when you’re done.” Lance looked like he wanted to argue, but he lost all will and slowly gathered his nightwear, going to shower. Keith took the time to remake the bed and get himself comfortable in the cocoon of blankets. He forgot how much he missed Lance’s bed and his seemingly endless amounts of fabric, despite sleeping here the night before. He let himself shift and snuggled further into the fluff. He had found that he was slightly more sensitive to all forms of senses after he shifted. He was almost hyper aware of the noise of the water from the shower running, but it was mostly blocked out by the feeling of the soft material surrounding him. He found himself dozing off without meaning too and was awoken when the bed jolted and a warm body snuggled up next to him. Keith instantly curled into Lance’s body, his face mashed into his chest without a second thought. He felt the vibrations as Lance laughed a little before ruffling his hair. Keith’s nose scrunched up at the feeling until Lance’s hand moved to rub at the base of his ear. Keith hated to admit it, but it was a weakness. He practically preened under the light touch. Soon, though, Lance was shuffling down to wrap his arms around his middle, tucking his face into the crook of Keith’s neck. Their legs tangled together on reflex and Keith figured that neither of them was going to moving anytime soon. 

     “Heh form Voltron.” Keith’s voice was quiet in the stillness of the room, but it still got a huff of laughter out of the other.

     “When I say Vol you say Tron-” came the sleepy response.

     “Voltr-”

     “Tron!” 

     “Go to sleep Lance.”

     “Okay.” The room was plunged into peaceful darkness before Lance spoke quietly once more. “Thanks Keith.”

     “You’re welcome.” Was all he said before they both promptly fell asleep to the gentle hum of the Castle-ship.

     The next week and a half followed in much the same routine and fashion. Zarkon was waiting and the team chose to use the time to their advantage. Allura had them sling-shooting across the universe to gain more planets for the alliance. The Galran forces couldn’t track the unpredictable patterns thankfully. The days were filled with simplistic actions; train, exercise, alliance, sleep. Keith had to admit that it was by pure luck that he had been dealt cards that he could work with. The more diplomatic missions they went on, the more it lessened the chance of suspicion arising from his plan. He had been pretty much paired with Hunk for most of them though because he wasn’t too good at appealing to the masses and Hunk would have probably ended up just taking a whole planet’s population back with him because he felt bad if he had gone alone. They worked well together and so far it was the only blip in the plan all things considered. 

     By the end of that week and a half though, Keith had decided he needed to shape his shit up and go talk to Allura. He had caught her on the bridge running diagnostics of the ship, thankfully alone for the moment. He took another deep breath before calmly walking up to her. At first she didn’t acknowledge him at all, but he tried not to take it too personally because he wasn’t sure if she had even noticed that he came in in the first place. He cleared his throat a little and she turned to him, slightly surprised.

     “Keith. Is something wrong?” He shook his head and moved to pull up some star charts at his chair, easily moving to pull up the large aquatic planet. 

     “I was looking at different systems that we could possibly jump to that wouldn’t be under such heavy Galran involvement that could potentially still have an important influence towards assisting the alliance and I located a relatively calm area in the Haven district with a large planet.” Allura looked towards the map and nodded to herself before turning back to address him.

      “Yes, Sora could be a important Alliance to hold, but it could be extremely difficult to task. They have been in peaceful treaty with Zarkon for over ten thousand years now and that means they have most likely gone through ten generations of new leadership from both the Boia and Iria Sora.” Keith shook off the stunned feeling to the fact that the people of Sora live to be over a thousand years old and quickly moved on with the information that Pidge had given him.

      “It is a possibility yes, but there is only one active base on the planet now and I am willing to bet with the tides of war changing so quickly, they might be more open to joining the alliance now. They only signed that treaty back then because they were at a loss with no hope like so many other planets. You and I both know that Zarkon doesn’t care about them or their planet. I’d rather risk denial than to not try at all.” Allura’s hard gaze softened slightly and Keith counted it as a win. He knew she was still weary of him, but anything he could do to help her to get over it he would because honestly? He was tired of having to tiptoe around her. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him, the pink markings on her face glowing slightly under the artificial light of the bridge. 

     “What do you propose to do then?” Keith fought hard to remain neutral when he was mentally high-fiving himself. 

     “Well ideally, we’ve been covering a lot more ground by splitting into two man teams so I don’t see the point in stopping now. Since there isn’t a lot of information about the state of the planet nowadays I’m hesitant to send Hunk or Pidge, especially since they’re useful in other areas. This may end up being a small raid so I would like to go and I am going to need back up. I know you and Shiro are conducting other important details towards the alliance, so I would like to take Lance with me.” Allura’s eyes narrowed at him. Whether she was confused by his willingness to do anything with Lance or she had somehow found out that they were kind of a thing, Keith didn’t know. 

     “You do know that neither of you are very good at going on political missions alone.” The comment stung, but Keith moved on as quickly as he could before he got mad and did something he would regret later.

     “I know that I can be brash, but Lance is more than capable of picking up my slack. You do realize that he is highly intelligent right?” A smile crept up on Allura’s face and she laughed a little.

    “Are we talking about the same Blue Paladin?” Keith crossed his arms as a frown pulled at his lips.

     “Don’t tell him that I told you this and certainly don’t go spreading it around, but Lance knows like a dozen languages including Altean; I wouldn’t brush him off so quickly.” His mood lightened at look of pure surprise on the Princess’s face. The look didn’t disappear completely as she turned to go back to her central computer. 

     “Well, it seems you had already thought about this enough to know what you’re doing. I trust that you and Lance will make it there and back safely then. Alert me when you depart and stay on the line in case we need you back for Voltron.” Keith didn’t stop the smile that grew as he cleared his computer and turned to leave.

     “Thanks Princess.” She turned one last time to give him a quizzical look before he booked it out of there. It was time to train all of his built up energy out. 

     It wasn’t until that night, after sparring with Pidge and eating before getting cleaned up, that he met up with Lance again. They hadn’t really been able to do anything during the day time recently and had resulted to just cuddling come the night. Lance had busted into his room, albeit without knocking first, and took a running start to jump onto the bed, nearly smacking his face on the wall in the process. Keith rolled his eyes at his antics before he moved to push him over and laid with him on the bed. Lance stuck his tongue out at him, his eyes sparkling in the electric blue of the side strip lighting of the room. Keith reached out and smoothed his hair down, tucking the longer pieces behind his ear and Lance’s cheeks heated up at the touch. Keith was certainly still no good with complements, but he knew that Lance appreciated the simple gestures. Lance moved closer until their faces were inches apart and Keith stared, wide eyed, at him. They didn’t speak for a while longer and Keith took the time to get lost in his eyes. He could marvel time and time again over the seemingly always changing blues in his iris’, like how they were in fact, made of opal themselves. Everyone’s eyes were different; Shiro’s a deep charcoal, Allura’s jewels with pink pupils, but Lance? Sometimes they were a darker shade, when he was troubled or mistaken, like the tides of crashing waves. Other times lighter, and Keith could swear they were reflective enough in bright light to refract like a prism, a rainbow of each color hidden unless you leaned in close enough to see it. It didn’t help that he shimmered too. He was like some mystical creature, which made Keith wonder what the hell he was suppose to be. Purple. He was literally just purple. He almost groaned out loud at the thought. Lance poked his head, startling him out of his thoughts. 

     “What’s got your panties in a twist bumpkin?” Keith leveled his glare as Lance laughed to himself.

      “Don’t call me that ever again.” Lance only laughed more before poking his side with a questioning look. Keith sighed and grumbled. “You are the embodiment of a human sparkle and all I am is either ghost white or dirt purple.” Lance looked at him with an eyebrow raised before he burst into laughter. Keith smacked him and he rolled away, taking the blankets with him. His giggles were muffled until Keith grabbed the blanket and unrolled him. Lance wiped the fake tears from his eyes, quiet snickers falling from his lips as he reached to tug on the long strands of Keith’s hair. 

     “Sorry- Just, give yourself a little credit! Yes, my skin is as radiant as my sparkling personality,” Keith moved to hit him again and he flinched away with a smile. “Wait! Hear me out! As I was going to say, but you take all the best parts of one color and make it your own.” Keith raised his eyebrow with an unimpressed look and Lance shoved his hands in his face before Keith smacked them off. 

     “When you shift, you’re a lighter purple than the typical Galran; more like the color of a thistle, but it gets gradually darker in certain areas- which is cool as heck! Also you blush like magenta which is dope.” Keith pushed him away, a blush threatening to take over making his face a nice shade of pink right now. 

     “Well, your eyes have rainbows in them!” Lance let out a bark of laughter before scooting closer again. 

     “You’re not wrong, but do you know that your eyes are like crushed amethyst? They fracture in the light just right and you can see every shade of purple there is!” Keith sputtered and put his face in his hands to cover his face, now bright red. 

     “Stop please.”

     “Nope! I will compliment you as many times as I need to for you to understand just how much I like your face!” Keith groaned and Lance laughed quietly to himself again.

     “Keith, Keith, Keeeeeeeeeeeiiiith-”

     “Goddamnit, what?”

     “Show me your true colors baby~” 

     “Oh my GOD! Stop right now!” 


	11. Chapter 11: Gathering the Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heheheehehe this is the calm before the storm! :3 ALSO GUYS I'M MOVING TOMORROW AW SHIT MY CAR IS PACKED AND EVERYTHING :00000 my math final was meh and its fucking hot as shit where I live currently and it was a BITCH to carry all my books to the car -_-' anyways! Only like a month before season 6 comes out!!!! start getting pumped!!!! get ready for the incoming chapters!!!!  
> -Enjoy!! :D

     Keith opened his eyes to find Lance looking at him with the stupid face he makes when he’s trying to be suave. Keith pushed his face away and rolled over so he wasn’t facing him anymore. He mistakenly thought that he might have bested Lance before he felt his hands snake towards his sides. He didn’t have a chance to wiggle away before he was attacked by probing fingers. The poked and prodded at all the wrong spots and before he could stop it, a laugh was bubbling up and out of his throat. He tried to roll to get away, but the second he did, Lance got the upper hand and straddled him, tickling him mercilessly. He kept pushing his hands away, but he was quickly running out of breath as giggles spilled out. He was so overwhelmed he didn’t notice anything had changed until Lance stopped and held his face in his hands. 

     “There he is. My sunshine purple boi!” Keith leveled his glare through heaving deep breaths, but he couldn’t hold back his smile. 

     “I think you don’t know what sunshine is because I am the antithesis of it.” 

     “With that grumpy face you wear all the time, I can see how you would think that- however, consider that you simply hide behind big ol’ storm clouds!”   


     “You and your stupid metaphors.”

     “Mm, but you like them.”

     “I like you, not your stupid mannerisms of speech.” Lance let out a huge fake gasp.

     “Keith you like me?! Oh bless the heavens! Let the Gods light rain upon me as I bask in the light of my sunshine purple boi!”

     “Jesus Christ, would you stop calling me that? Bumpkin was almost better.”

     “I’ll call you whatever I please sugarlumps. You’re stuck with me.”

     “I regret everything I have done in my life thus far.”

     Lance laughed some more before moving to grab Keith’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. A gentle smile had overtaken his features as they quieted down. Lance seemed to be pondering something and before Keith could ask about it, he spoke up.

     “How long do you think it will take the others to figure out that we’re like together kinda?” Keith tried to hide his surprise at the casual use of the term together. It made his insides warm and he thought back to earlier when Allura gave him that strange look.

     “Well aside from Shiro, I think Allura might be on the right track, but Hunk and Pidge? They might be some of the smartest people I know, but they are oblivious as fuck. I give it at least another three weeks at the very least. Though that’s not accounting for one or both of them busting in one of our rooms unannounced and catching us asleep together.” Lance laughed a little.

     “But they know all about my big nerd crush on you goth boy.” Keith sneered at the name before grumbling.

     “Yeah but they knew about my moronic crush on you so that doesn’t mean anything.”

      “Hey!” Keith laughed at Lance’s offended exclaim before turning to look him in the eye.

     “Speaking of, Allura talked to me today about another alliance mission.”

     “Oh yeah? She didn’t stab you with her eyes first?” Keith smiled and kept going.

     “Unfortunately no. But the plus side is it’s you and me this time.” Lance brightened up at that, his whole face opening up.

     “Aw yeah! Time for team Klance to go all diplomatic on their asses!” Keith narrowed his eyes at him.

     “Why do I only get one letter? That’s fucking lame. Laith is a much better team name.” Lance looked like he was about to argue before he paused.

     “Oh shit yeah, you’re right that is better.” Keith’s eyebrows shot up past his hairline.

     “Really?” Lance nodded and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

     “Well, it does translate to lion in Arabic, which is pretty much like the most ironic thing ever.” Keith smiled lightly 

     “Yeah I knew that, obviously, that’s why I suggested it.”

     “Shut up you. When are we leaving?”

     “She didn’t say anything specific; just to tell her when we head out.” Lance nodded and shuffled so that he was under the blankets. Keith moved to get under them as well and steadily shifted back and curled inwards into Lance’s open arms. Neither of them said anything else, choosing instead to snuggle and soon the weariness of the days events had Keith falling asleep quickly wrapped in Lance’s arms. 

      The next morning they were up and about doing separate meniall tasks, the conversation from the night before not forgotten, but pushed aside for the moment. Keith had spent the majority of the morning cleaning Red and getting Hunk to help him with checking for wiring faults. Red hummed, clearly pleased that she was being treated and helped point out a loose paneling near her foot that had been bugging her. Keith didn’t know what Lion they were taking and there was no way he could tell what the state of Blue was just from the outside. While Hunk was setting up the Altean version of a blowtorch, Red poked at his conscious; obviously curious about her Paladin’s thinking face. Keith pushed images of Lance and himself, Sora, and her and Blue. She seemed to latch onto Blue and Lance before sending back affirmative on herself as the carrier for the journey. When Keith’s thoughts turned questioning she pushed worry through the thread of mental connection. Keith had to sigh. She was right; the whole thing was extremely nerve-racking and could end very badly, but as much as Keith didn’t like it, he wanted to know. He could feign innocence if Lance panicked or got mad, but he hoped that Lance wouldn’t be too upset in the first place. He really just wanted Lance to be open with him and feel like he could trust him and he hoped this journey with help with that while also getting some answers to all the mysterious inaccuracies related to him as a whole. He could tell that Red knew something about the whole thing that she wasn’t telling him, but she growled at him when he tried to press her about it. Keith was no stranger to knowing that the lions talked to each other; Lance had talked to Blue, who had talked to Red, who now wouldn’t tell Keith. He wanted to be pissed, But Red kept sending warning signals about the whole thing. As he was leaving to go train some more he got one last message from the large robotic lion.

_      Be Careful. _

     They didn’t leave for another couple days, finishing up with some other short missions and check ups. Keith spent all of his free time coming up with some sort of attack plan based on the very little information that they had on the base on the large planet. It was towards the lower south side of the planet, on one of the two major land formations. From what they had, Keith had gathered that Sora was made up of two primary races labeled simply as Boia-Sora and Iria-Sora; Water and Air. The Air Sora were, as Pidge had said, avian humanoids. Bipedal creatures with tri-taloned hands and feet, extensive wings with wide wingspans protruding from the lower midsection of their back. Most only had a single pair, but the royal families often had 2 or even 3 pair. It didn’t seem to improve flight and was mostly a status symbol it appeared. The log mentioned that color and size also had a factor and Keith had to cringe a little. Every planet had their own type of racism it seemed. They lived in hollowed out alcoves in the mountainous formations on the land masses. The log didn’t say anything else and Keith wondered if it was because even before it was destroyed, Altea was still light-years away from the planet and they simply never had the time to learn more. 

     The Water Sora were just as interesting however, literal merpeople that lived deep beneath the planet’s deep and reflective water. Their top halves resembling a human torso and head, (Though Keith had to wonder since their planet came first that humans in fact resembled them,) their lower half being a long decorated tail. There was less information about them because they lived out of reach; the Alteans who ventured there might have been able to look like them, but they still can’t breathe underwater. The same went for the Galran forces who landed there, unable to reach the resources of the planet, their ships destroyed if they ventured into the water. Keith wondered if the Boia-Sora were more hostile and actually attacked the ships or if there was a different sort of liquid pressure. The log stated that they had gone off of the descriptions that the Iria-Sora had given them because they hadn’t actually seen one the whole time that they had been there. Keith liked how mysterious they were and he had to hand it to Lance for finding such an interesting race to learn the language of. That still left the question of how he found the language in the first place, but that would hopefully be answered soon. 

     Like Allura had said, the lifespan of both races seemed to be close to a thousand years, though many of the Iria-Sora said that the Boia-Sora actually reached that number far more often than them, their average closer to eight hundred. It was still slightly mind boggling to Keith though. Most of the races that they had met either lived roughly the same length or shorter than humans, Galrans included with the exception of a few choice individuals. It was slightly shocking to hear of such a long lifespan and he couldn’t imagine living for such a long time. It reminded him of something that Rachel had said,  _ “That’s hardly a blip for him!”  _  Seven months? 20 years? Try 240! Keith had laughed a little to himself. 

     The last thing listed was the Kings and Queens of the planet. Keith didn’t focus hard on it since it hadn’t been updated in literally ten thousand years, but it seemed that the Iria-Sora had mostly Kings and the Boia-Sora had mostly Queens. There were a few mixed in here and there, but it seemed like they kept to a very strict royal lineage. Thankfully it didn’t look like there was any incest, but it seemed to still be pretty classicist aside from a very small footnote simply stating,  _ The ranking of an individual determines the actual likelihood of being eligible to marry into the royal family, though an exception is made for Boia-Sora if their Heilo is located and the Queen (or King) presents the Devion Velckei (Divine Clasps) produced by the Kaogmon ce Heilo (Shell of Soul)  _

     Keith had no idea what any of that meant, but there was something that stuck out to him. Heilo. Alma. Soul. It was the same word that Claire had used for it when trying to describe the subject that her uncle talked about all the time. Holy Shit. Keith had rushed immediately to Pidge, who seemed to be running diagnostics of the ship and stood in front of her, heaving large gulps of air from sprinting from the common room to the main bridge. She looked up at him after a moment, pausing in her activity. 

     “Do you still have that language program up?” She raised an eyebrow quizzically before shuffling to grab her laptop. 

     “Yea- what’s up?” Keith moved in close, looking at the screen and the flashing lines of code.

     “Can you run a check on a couple of words?” She nodded and pushed the audio capture towards him. His voice was shaky, but he spoke confidently into the device.

     “Spo-so, Que-sch-gar-veel.” Pidge took the laptop back and pressed a few keys and a few minutes later made a humming noise. She didn’t say anything as she passed the computer back to Keith, who sucked in a large surprised breath. Not much was on the screen other than the small flashing text:

**Soran: Boia-Sora dialect**

     There was no way. Sure, Lance knowing both languages wouldn’t be that big of a deal- but he’d been teaching his niece an alien language  _ before they had been in space.  _ There was literally no explanation for it. There was no conceivable way that Lance could have known, or have learned that language on earth. The Garrison certainly didn’t know about it- they hadn’t even known about the impending Galra empire taking over the universe. There was so many pieces on the board, but he was still missing one and he couldn’t figure it out. He thought he had been close to solving it, but now suddenly it felt like he was back at square one. Slowly he sat down on the floor, the sounds of Pidge’s keyboard clacking in the background. He shoved his face into his hands and took deep breaths before his emotions got out of hand and he did something stupid like shift in the middle of the bridge. He needed to go over what he knew. 

     One; Lance knew like 20 languages. Keith still was unsure about how many he actually knew, and he wasn’t certain Lance knew either, but his wrap sheet included at least 3 alien and at least 9 of Earth’s that Keith knew about. But that didn’t mean anything. Fucking linguist. 

     Two; Lance was adopted. Keith wasn’t really sure if this was relevant, but he was making a list of fun facts about Lance that the typical person wouldn’t know, so might as well add it. Keith didn’t know much about the matter since he hadn’t really asked Lance about it, but it seemed to be one of the most sore subjects that he didn’t want to talk about. Though Lance didn’t really want to talk about the specifics of his family ever other than that he missed them. This was also on the list because of all the really weird conversations he had had with said adopted family. Like oh by the way, we weren’t expecting you back for like 20 years! Or grandma McClain being like, oh hey I thought you went home! Like seriously what the fuck. 

     Three; speaking of family- teaching his family random alien languages before he had any access to having the ability to learn them. Keith was really stuck on this one. There really wasn’t much to say about it other than another big What the Fuck is Up With That because that made no sense and was scientifically impossible. But this also includes his family's weird knowledge on the inner workings of Voltron and the Galra despite literally never hearing about them before. It was weird and made Keith question everything he had come to know about the Blue Paladin. 

     He sat for a moment longer before he was reminded of something else that Pidge had mentioned.  _ “when you asked he just said something cryptic like ‘oh, my real family lives amongst the stars…’”  _ could he have meant- but that would mean that Lance wasn’t- Keith shook his head. No, that was just insane. Crazy. Delusional. Right? Keith pushed the idea away like the plague, but it still lingered in his head. He used to think that he was completely human and it turned out his mom had been a alien rebel so the possibility that Lance was maybe not completely human? Keith hated that it was becoming more and more likely. But then came a completely new set of questions. Keith pulled away from his hands and stared at the center of his palms, which had started turning into a nice shade of magenta. He swore and quickly stormed out, running all the way back to his room and once behind closed doors, shifted completely and hid under the collection of blankets that had accumulated on his bed. Logically he knew it didn’t really matter in the end, but still there becomes the question as to why he hid it, especially after they had ended up fighting aliens in space. Hiding it even after Keith had found out about his heritage. There was also a weird sense of security that he felt from knowing that the one person that knew about his ability to shift might also be part alien. That secret wasn’t getting out anytime soon so long as he could keep it together. 

     He passed out after that, the emotional toll taking a hit and wasn’t awoken until he felt the bed move. He thanked every god he knew that it was Lance’s face that came into view. He placed a hand on the side of Keith’s face and lightly rubbed the skin there. Keith leaned into the touch, tired and output, and closed his eyes again. He knew Lance had gotten in bed too, pulling Keith’s gloves off and placing them on the floor. He was almost completely out of it again when he felt Lance lightly press his lips to his forehead and whisper goodnight. He fell asleep with a smile on his face. 

     He didn’t ask about it obviously. When he had awoken the next morning, completely wrapped in Lance’s arms he didn’t simply jump up and exclaim accusations towards him. Instead he shifted and snuggled closer. He figured that today was a good a day as any to start their journey. It was hard, but he extended his mind as far as he could and managed to link with Red and got a growl of affirmative, though her displeasure was still potent. He was about to ask for more detail on her reasoning but lost concentration when a finger poked the side of his face. He opened his eyes to find Lance looking at him with questioning eyes. He poked him back.

     “Hey you wanna head out today?” Keith’s voice was raspy with sleep and Lance got a funny look on his face for a moment before slowly nodding.

     “You still haven’t told me where we’re even going.” Keith feigned sleep and closed his eyes again, pushing down the underlining panic.

     “Haven District- should be a quick and easy thing. Don’t worry about it.” Even as the words left his mouth, he could feel Lance tense around him. He opened his eyes to find Lance looking away, worry swirling in his eyes, a dark storming blue. He hated it, but he made himself steadily ask, “Lance? Is something wrong?” Lance startled and turned back to him and Keith had to fight to keep his heartbeat from racing. Fear. Plain and simple. Keith was overwhelmed by his own sheer amount of ignorance that he was the one that had overstepped boundaries and made this happen. A sinking feeling swirled in his gut. He was starting to get why Red had been so cautionary towards this whole plan. Lance shook his head a little, but the panic in his eyes didn’t lessen.

     “No-Nothing’s wrong! I just thought I had heard the opposite about that area! You know, swimming in Galra and all that- heh!” Keith frowned. This wasn’t making him feel any better about the situation at all. 

     “Hey, If you’re that concerned I can see if we can call it off for now if you’d rather. I guess you don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to-”

     “No!” Keith startled at the outburst and almost missed the end comment, whispered so quietly that he had to strain to hear it. “If I have to go to that district with anyone, I want it to be with you.” Keith tried to school his face, storing the guilt away, and nodded.

     “Okay, if you’re alright with it we can get cleaned up and head out.” Keith didn’t like the suggestion the second it came out of his mouth, but by the time he wanted to retract it, Lance had already stood. He didn’t say anything as he pulled away and moved quickly towards the door. Keith watched him go, steadily growing angrier at himself. He had fucked up bad. He still didn’t know why Sora was the turning page, but he had, without Lance’s knowledge, gone behind his back to find out about information that Lance clearly wasn’t comfortable with sharing. The more he thought about it as he was gathering his things and slowly getting ready, the more he didn’t want to do this anymore. The mere idea of actually following through with this half-assed break of trust made him sick to his stomach. He didn’t even get his gloves back on before he had to sit back down on the bed, the guilt of what he had tried to do overwhelming him enough that he was actually starting to feel nauseous. He didn’t know how long he sat with his face in his hands, fighting off the urge to either vomit or faint, but suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find Lance looking at him with concern. Keith was embarrassed that he hadn’t even heard  him come in and he knew that this had to end now. He would come clean about the whole thing if he had too. 

     “You okay man? You don’t look so good.” Keith bristled.

     “I- I just suddenly didn’t feel a hundred percent. Maybe we should hold off for now- Allura can get someone else to go-”

     “No.” Keith looked up to find Lance looking at him with pure determination on his features. “I don’t want anyone other than us going into the Haven district; it’s not their place. If you’re really not feeling well we can wait a day till you’re feeling more up to it, but if the Alliance needs to go to Haven- I’m going and you’re the one I want there with me.” Keith was sure he would think back to that later and combust, but for now he stuck his face back into his hands before flopping back onto the bed. Great. There goes his grand abort plan. Now it seemed that Lance, who looked like he didn’t want to go to the Haven district within an inch of his life, clearly didn’t want anyone else from the team to go there, so he was forcing himself to go. If possible Keith felt even worse. 

     “If you really don’t want to go, I’m sure we could call off the whole thing; it’s not like it’s critical to the Alliance.” He opened his eyes to find Lance shaking his head. 

     “I- they’ve been under Galran influence for too long. We have to go help them; it’s our duty as Paladins of Voltron.” Keith couldn’t hold his gaze for very long, afraid that his guilt would surely show. Lance held his hand out and as Keith grasped it he was pulled up and off the bed. “Now, do I need to get you to the med bay or are you going to tough it out?” Keith grit his teeth, a grim frown moving in to take place. He grabbed his gloves off the ground and slipped his blade into his belt.

     “Tough it out. Let’s go."


	12. Chapter 12: Sora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I MOVED :D everything is great now! I um didn't write this past week thou cuz I was so tired lolol -u-' but heyyyyyyy this chapter is the start of /the big reveal/ *gasp* (chapter 14 is almost here yall get hype) this chapter is good thou v funny xD I look forward to watching SEASON 6 in like 4 WEEKS but until then!  
> -Enjoy! ;)

     There was no smiles as they grabbed their bags and began the trek down to the hanger. The Castle lights seemed brighter than usual and Keith fought the need to shield his eyes. Neither spoke, the tense energy around them enough to stifle even the small amount of excitement for finally maybe figuring it all out. Keith was undeniably super pissed at himself for meddling in Lance’s affairs to begin with. He was such an idiot! Lance certainly wasn’t going to feel any sort of ability to trust him after this. The anger rolled off of his skin in waves and he almost stumbled when Red’s presence was suddenly invading his space and demanding to know what was going on. He didn’t exactly answer, more-so just pushing his thought and feelings towards her. What he got back wasn’t what he was expecting; a purr of sympathy. Lance didn’t question when they began the ascent into  Red’s large head, nor did he ask Keith about the Red Paladin’s shifting aura. He was still pissed at himself, but the fact that Red knew that he was upset but didn’t deter their journey made him feel slightly better. She pressed her thoughts and feelings through. She had talked to Blue and they agreed that while it might be jarring, this journey was vital for Lance to become a better version of himself and a better paladin for the team. Keith hoped that Lance knew that his anger wasn’t directed at him as he sat down at the controls. Lance planted his feet and rested his hand on the back of the pilot’s chair. Keith only spared him a quick glance before pulling up the calling system and linked to Allura. 

     “We’re heading out now. Call if there’s a problem.” She nodded grimly at him.

     “Be careful Paladins.” She spoke calmly and firm before ending the call. When Keith looked back at Lance he was still staring at where the princess’s com link had been.

     “Jeez what crawled up her skirt and died?” Keith raised an eyebrow.

     “Me apparently-” Lance’s eyes shot to him, his mouth opening in shock. Keith only realized what he had said afterwards. “No! No, not like that! Jesus Christ!” Keith’s exclamation made Lance burst out into laughter, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he doubled over. Keith facepalmed and groaned. “Stop- Stop you know I’m gay-” This only serving to make Lance laugh harder until he was sinking onto the metal floor clutching his side. Keith’s glare only heightened when he felt Red rumble with laughter as well. He crossed his arms and huffed in anger as he waited for Lance to pull himself together. By the time he did, Red had started up and as Keith was entering the coordinates he heard Lance from behind him. 

     “No, but for real, what was up with her?” Keith turned briefly, ready to level him for being insensitive, but Lance was looking at him with pure innocence and curiosity. He felt his mouth drop a little before he quickly recovered.

     “Lance she doesn’t like me at all.”

     “What??!! You might be a prick sometimes, but you’re not that bad!” Keith fought the urge to facepalm again. Bless his heart.

     “Lance. I’m half Galra, part of the same race that killed off her entire population and is currently trying to take over the universe; She has a little bit of a reason to hate me.” Lance’s face screwed into a scowl.

     “Yeah, but it’s not like you did any of that personally, hell it happened over ten thousand years ago! Sounds like she’s just being racist.” Keith gaped at him. 

     “Lance, you can’t say that!”

     “Why not? Just because she’s royalty in space doesn’t mean she’s royalty to me. Doesn’t matter who you are- being racist-or is it creature-ist? Doesn’t matter; it’s bad.” Keith shook his head. It looked like arguing about it wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Yeah it hurt that she would suddenly turn her head from him because of something he couldn’t control, let alone know about, but Allura was still one of the leaders of Voltron. She also wasn’t a bad person, in fact if Keith was honest, she was justified in hating him a little bit. He figured she’d get over it in time, she just needed a little time to adjust. He said as much to Lance who shook his head and sighed, but didn’t press it any further as they shot off into the huge expanse of space. 

     They didn’t talk for awhile as Red weaved in and around the planets towards the Haven district. Keith almost hit a asteroid when Lance spoke again. 

     “So you’re gay?” If he had been drinking something he would have spit it out.

     “I? Yes?” Lance hummed. “Why? Does it matter?” Keith could see Lance’s arms flail from behind him.

     “No! I just didn’t know you were solely on the dick train-”

     “Lance.” 

     “People are allowed to like whomever they want! I just didn’t know your official sexuality until now. It’s cool!” Keith cringed. This was so awkward, but he had to hand it to him- he was right. 

     “It’s not a big deal. I’m not super into pda anyways.” Lance let out a snort.

     “If you don’t count cuddling and holding hands.” If Keith wasn’t piloting he would have reached around to smack him. It was quiet again before Lance spoke up.

     “When did you figure it out?” Keith blanched at the question. 

     “Why are you so interested?” Lance flipped again.

     “I’m just trying to get to know you better! You don’t have to answer, obviously!” Keith sighed. He was going to be the death of him.

     “I wasn’t interested in anyone of any fashion until I had been at the Garrison for a few years. Some guys in the lounge were talking about this really cute girl that had just transferred in and as I was walking past, one of them grabbed my arm and pulled me over for my opinion. I guess she was pretty now that I think back on it, but I didn’t really care either way. For some reason they didn’t like my answer all that much and this really buff dude looked at me and was like, ‘What, are you gay or something?’ and I said no- because I wasn’t really into anyone. But later I was thinking about it and I guess a part of me knew that since I hadn’t really cared up to that point I hadn’t looked into what kind of person I liked.” Lance nodded, now very invested in the story and Keith fought back the blush that threatened to take over his face.

     “After that, for like a week, I made sure that I looked at everyone and tried to see what things my brain qualified as attractive. And I found out that I like guys more.”

     “That’s it? No big sudden gay crush that opened your eyes?” Keith rolled his eyes. Internally he was lowkey screaming because, yeah that  _ had _ happened- a year and a half later when a really pretty Cuban boy gave him a flower in the middle of a crowded hallway; but he couldn’t tell Lance that. That would be suicide. 

     “Nope.”

     “Was it Shiro?”

     “No! He’s my brother you freak!”

     “But you can admit that he’s hot though right?”

     “I mean yeah, but I’m not going to say that out loud!” 

     Lance’s laughter rang out from inside the giant robotic lion making Keith slump into his chair. He had so many regrets. The conversation lulled after that, Keith never being one to initiate conversation to begin with, and Lance falling into a pleased silence after pulling himself together. The wide expanse of space unfolding as they continued through the outskirts of different systems. The light of millions of different stars blurred as they flew on, some growing as they got closer to them before they flew past. Planets big and small in a plethora of colors grew and shrunk, though the farther out they got the less Keith recognized them. They had never really ventured this far out, thought this was still light years away from the end of the universe. Towards the edges of the universe was where time slowed as planets died before their eyes. The universe was vast and never ending, rather presenting as a loop of time. The planets at the edge of the universe simply wasted away or destroyed themselves in vast supernovas of color before their remnants simply looped back around to the beginning of the universe and joined together again to form new planets with new life. It was ever changing and frankly terrifying, but even in the 10,000 years since Altea was destroyed the few planets that had met a timely end were forgotten as fast as the new planets that formed gained their recognition. Keith thought it was little like the universe was on a very specific diet, cleansing out the bad and bringing in the new. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop the Galra and Voltron had to step up as a new form of antibiotics to get rid of the nasty bug. 

     Keith was startled out of his thoughts when Red alerted him that they were approaching the Haven District. He slowed her to a gentle entry and heard Lance swear under his breath from behind him. The district itself wasn’t anything spectacular, only housing about five planets, but they were all huge, Sora actually being the second smallest of them. Their gravitational rotation was centered around a star not so unlike in size as Earth’s. It gave off mystifying pinkish purple flares as two gyrating rings of light spun around it. The closest of the planets was a dark mustard completely covered with rocky terrain, no bodies of water to be found; Keialle. It was the second largest and Keith hadn’t looked into it much, the creatures living on the planet living under its surface. Sora was next in orbit, almost completely the opposite by being almost all comprised of water with the few large continents of pure white granite-like mountains. In the middle was Jexuis, the largest and frankly most terrifying. Nothing lived on its surface past microscopic as the giant charcoal planet was covered at all times in a thick atmosphere that riddled the surface with lightning strikes. Hiding in its shadow was the smallest of the five, the volcanic planet by the name of Fevoir. Strange flying cannibalistic creatures lived amongst the the molten rivers and Keith thought that if the atmosphere hadn’t been toxic and deadly, he would have liked to walk around on its surface. The last was Hoeyn. It was the greenest planet that Keith had ever seen, very similar what Earth might have looked not riddled with humans. It was mostly covered in green and blue forests, the bodies of water on its surface so clear that they appeared green as well in the reflection of the leaves. It’s people were highly intelligent, enough so to camouflage and stay hidden from the incoming war and politics. Keith wondered if it was named the Haven district because it’s planets seemed to resemble the elemental powers. He took a deep breath and nudged the controls for Red to head for the blue planet and held his breath. 

     “Wait we’re going to Sora?!” He cringed at the outburst and turned to look at Lance with the most passive face he could.

     “Yes? The Galran base that’s been stationed there for the entirety of the war has been forgotten and we’re going to see if the King and Queen would be willing to resign the peace treaty to join the alliance.” Keith wasn’t sure how Lance couldn’t hear just how fast his heart was beating despite how calm he might have looked on the outside. 

     “Ahh o-okay-” Keith chose to ignore the panicked stutter and moved Red into position for a solid landing. As Red braced herself into the planet’s orbit, Keith thought back to that night on the beach.  _ “Your love is my turning page.”  _ He could feel it, somewhere deep within; this was the turning page. Something big was coming; the catalyst. 

     Lance didn’t say a word as Keith carefully piloted the lion over the huge expanse of blue green ocean. The waters rippled, but there was no tide, no rushing waves. It was like a huge still pool of dark crystal clear liquid. Misty gray clouds hung low in the sky and in the approaching hued light of the star, the white monoliths reflected bright pink and purple. Keith had to admit it was rather beautiful. As they flew closer, shapes began to form into the cliff side. Great towers carved into the bases of the Icelandic continents, growing up the side making appear as if there were castles protruding from the rock itself. Keith could just barely begin to see the circling creatures liken to human vultures, their large wings beating powerfully to keep them airborne. They held their breath as Keith landed Red on a relatively large, but sturdy vat of land. The jets on her feet blowing the crystalline granules away like glass sand. From her eyes Keith could see a line of Iria-Sora approaching with bow and arrow in hand, ready to fire. He wanted to laugh at what seemed to be primitive weapons, but something about the way they glowed in the light of the sun made him stop. If there was anything that he had learned from his research on the planet, appearances weren’t always as they seemed. It was quiet between the two of them as they quickly moved to exit, bayards clipped to their hips. Lance didn’t hesitate to put his helmet on and considering that they didn’t wear them often, Keith didn’t question and followed in suit. As they walked out into the white terrain The Iria-Sora raised their weapons immediately and the paladins raised their arms in surrender just as quick. The one that Keith could only assume was the head of the guard marched forward, arrow still posed at Keith’s heart. His eyes remained trained on him, reminding Keith of a bird of prey, slitted and dark yellow. For a moment neither spoke, tracking each others slight movements. Then the guard rung out amongst the silence. 

     “ _ Who are you and why are you here?”  _  Keith paused. He had no idea what the guard had just said; he had forgotten to turn the automatic translator on in the helmet and he couldn’t very well turn it on now without risk of being shot. He was scrambling to figure out what to do when Lance stepped out from behind him. The guards arrow shifted quickly and aimed at him, but before Keith could try to stop this from escalating further, Lance threw his arms out. Quickly and efficiently, he dipped into a deep bow and curled his right arm forward in front of his eyes and his left back across his shoulder blades. Keith had no idea what was happening, but he followed as best he could. A moment passed before Keith could hear Lance take a large breath through the communicators. He straightened and pulled his leg in a circular motion to rest behind his other.

     “ _ We are Paladins of Voltron here to negotiate with King Gorfal and Queen Cryniss over the Treaty of Jux.”  _  The guard sneered, but didn’t lower his weapon. Keith couldn’t understand what they were saying, but they were still talking so he prayed that Lance wasn’t completely destroying what little chance they had. 

     “ _ That treaty had been in place since the war began. They won’t revoke it just because of your little space patrol. And I asked who you are, don’t tell me what I already know.”   _ Lance must have sensed that Keith was about to interject, throwing his arm out behind him, finger raised; wait. Keith pressed his lips together and kept his hands away from his bayard. He watched as Lance let out a deep sigh and very slowly reached up to remove his helmet. The release of the airtight seal loud even to Keith’s ears. The way that Lance’s seemed to pull his body up to its fullest height reminded Keith of how Allura always stood when she addressed royal leaders. He squared his shoulders and in the breathy language of the Iria-Sora spoke confidently and proud.

     “ _ I am Prince Layance, Paladin of the Blue Lion and heir to Queen Cryniss of the Boia-Sora. This is my partner Keith Kogane, Paladin of the Red Lion. We are here to destroy the Galran base on Sora and employ that the whole of the Haven District join the Voltron Alliance.”  _  It was the first time that Keith had ever heard Lance say his name weirdly like the others, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it before he could hear his name amongst other things and nodded to the guard. After Lance made his statement of introductions, Keith assumed, no one moved. Then, the guard dropped his weapon, his face morphing into shock, as most of the rest of the guard did as well. There was a moment after the shock where Keith could see the Iria-Sora’s face slide into pure and simple relief before he rushed towards Lance, dropping his bow on the way. He crushed Lance in a hug of excitement, causing Lance to drop his helmet. Keith simply picked it up in confusion before reaching to take his off as well. Whatever Lance had said it had worked and Keith honestly wasn’t going to question anything from this point out. He had a hunch that Lance would explain it all himself without much prying. 

     “ _ Layance! I can’t believe it’s you! We didn’t know if we were ever going to see you again!”  _ The head guard’s wings were flapping in excitement as he pulled back. Lance simply laughed and gave a soft smile.

     “ _ I’m sorry, as you can see, I’ve been a little busy! Though I hardly think my mother is going to be pleased when she finds out what I’ve been doing… It’s good to see you Tortalean.”  _ The guard nodded happily as the rest of the Iria-Sora begin to slowly fly off, all showing signs of excitement. He patted Lance on the back and flapped inward toward one of the structures. 

     “ _ Well, we must go and see King Gorfal right now! You can take the speeders to get there before daybreak!”  _ He turned without waiting for a response from Lance and picked up his bow, walking quickly. Lance hurried to follow and Keith wasted no time waiting around. He gave a mental thanks to Red who simply sent wishes of good luck before powering down. Lance refused to look at Keith and he wanted to be mad about it, but considering the circumstances he gave him a pass. Lance was probably under the assumption that Keith didn’t know about the language thing or the Sora thing for that matter. His anxiety was probably skyrocketing right now. Keith racked his brain for what he could do before an idea struck him. He cleared his throat and tried his best not to butcher it. 

     “Swoowei.” He said it quietly so only Lance would hear, and the reaction was instantaneous. Lance turned to him with his mouth hanging wide open and fear rising in his eyes. Keith quickly recovered. “I don’t actually know what you guys were saying, but I know a thank you is in order. You saved our asses back there after I forgot to turn my translator on.” Lance relaxed marginally before raising an eyebrow at him.

     “You’re not totally freaking about me speaking Iria-Soran?” Keith shrugged his shoulders and tried to play it off casually.

     “I’ve basically accepted that you just know a shit ton of random languages; I can’t even be surprised anymore.” Lance huffed out a laugh and fell back to walk side by side with him. 

     “We’re going to take some speeders the castle,” Lance shook his head as he took his helmet back from Keith. “The Iria-Sora jumping around and molting in excitement is Tortalean. As you probably figured he’s the head of the guard.” Keith nodded as said guard took them out of the open air and though a passageway into the lower side of the land structure. As they continued Keith almost felt like he was walking through a ice tunnel. There was no direct source of light, but somehow, probably through extensive mathematics, a series of holes had been drilled so that the sunlight shined in and provided light. Keith guessed that depending on its position in the sky, different pathways of holes helped to provide continued coverage. In result everything glowed with the slight reflection of the violet sunlight. He could tell that even though it looked like ice, it wasn’t cold to the touch and was clearly made up of a different set of elements. The air itself was surprisingly close to Earth’s and wasn’t particularly unpleasant. It reminded Keith of autumn; not to hot, but not too cold either. He nudged Lance as they walked further in signalling for his attention. He looked over curiously and Keith gave him a sly smile.

     “I guess I’ll leave all the talking to you. Don’t fuck it up.” Lance sputtered before poking him in the chest.

     “Oh ho ho don’t think you’re getting out that easy mullet! It’s English from here on out so you’re forced to participate!” 

     “Hm? What? I can’t understand you. No hablo inglés.” 

     “You are so full of shit! You don’t even speak Spanish!” They only eyed each other a moment more before they dissolved into quiet laughter. Tortalean eyed them oddly before he brightened up.

     “Oh! Shall I speak English so your partner can understand?” Lance nodded enthusiastically and turned to look at Keith, moving his eyebrows up and down with his eyes half lidded. Keith pushed his face away.

     “Don’t misunderstand; I’m still actively going to try and make you do all the talking.” 

     “Are you sure that’s a good idea~?” 

     “I swear to God if you fuck this up-” Lance let out a large bark of laughter and slapped Keith’s hands away. Before Keith could retaliate they had stopped in a large alcove. The ceiling was so thin that the large hole drilled into the rock above allowed for a larger amount of light to shine in and cover the whole room in a bright purple hue through the minimal layer. Along the rounded walls were what Keith assumed were several oddly shaped hovercrafts. They had a tall central poll with a insert on top, not unlike a teludav, with a crescent shaped base. It looked like they hadn’t been used in a while and Keith stood looking from the vehicles, to Tortalean, to Lance and back. There was no way in hell he was getting on one of those things. It was like a flying segway without handles. Nope. Tortalean seemed to be waiting for them to get on, his tri-taloned feet already walking out the larger opening. Keith looked at Lance and crossed his arms.

     “No.”

     “Aw come on, Keith they’re not that bad!”

     “I said no.”

     “It’s just like your stupid hoverbike!”

     “It is not like my hoverbike at all. That has a seat and handles; this has neither.” Lance seemed to grumble to himself before holding a very powerful stance with his hands on his hips.

     “Alrighty then; we’ll take one together.” Keith couldn’t stop his eyes from almost popping out of his head.

     “ _ Excuse me,  _ What?”


	13. Chapter 13: Target Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello everyone!! eeeeee it has been a happy week! I didn't write at all but I've been living the dream of vacation before I have to go back to work in about 2 weeks xDDD GUYS JUNE IS ALMOST HERE YEAAAAH!!!!! I apologize in advance because ngl this chapter kinda sucks BUT HOLY SHIT THE NEXT CHAPTER HOT DAMMMMNNNNN so sorry you gotta suffer for another week :bbb  
> -Enjoy!

     Lance didn’t answer him instead moving to pull one of the death machines out of the line up. Thankfully he seemed to pick one that wasn’t in terrible shape, and moved it so it was positioned to head directly out of the opening. He put his helmet back on and pressed a button on the side of the vehicle, placing his hand on the top insert before the speeder started. As it floated up, Lance jumped on and placed his feet perfectly on the sides of the curved base like a pro. Now Keith was a hundred percent sure he could not ride those things. His balance was better than Lance’s, but that was on solid ground. Before he could protest again Lance grabbed his arm with the hand that wasn’t extended into the speeder. He yanked him up causing Keith to stumble into the open part of the base. His face flushed quickly as he smashed his face into Lance’s lower back. God this was going to be one of the most embarrassing things he had ever done. He pulled back and with Lance’s supporting hand, got both his feet into the base behind his. There was only a moment of flailing about what he was going to do with his hands before he sighed loudly, put his helmet on, and looped his arms around Lance’s midsection. He felt Lance put his hand over his before the speeder lurched and took off through the opening at an increasing speed. Keith loved to go fast, but he also liked to be secure when he did. This was not secure at all. He was embarrassed to say he had to close his eyes when his heart jumped into his throat. When he felt confident enough to open them again he quickly spotted Tortalean flying above them, laughing as they flew over the white rock. He would deny the scream and call to wait as Lance charged straight towards the open water, gaining speed to the point that Keith was sure he was going to fly off. Surprisingly, they didn’t fall directly into the water, the speeder apparently able to go over water as well. They were going so fast now that Keith was sure that if he hadn’t had his helmet on he would have been facing serious consequences. Over the coms Lance spoke, airy and joyful.

     “Be thankful that we landed pretty close to the city central otherwise you would have been stuck on this thing a lot longer.” it still felt like they had been on this damned machine for longer than Keith was comfortable with. He didn’t respond, choosing instead to squeeze Lance’s middle tighter. He could hear his laughter over the coms before Keith began to feel the speeder start to slow down. He watched as the continent grew. King Gorfal’s castle towered high above them, growing out of the mountain side like an icicle. The hollowed out alcoves of the other Iria-Sora’s homes cascaded down the side following the formation outward wherever available. They reminded Keith of a finch nest, with small round openings. The castle was different however, the white stone making it look as though it was completely made out of marble, reflecting the purple-pink light of the sun. Iria-Sora flew in and out of the open balcony windows that made up the towers, large spires topping them off in points. It was pretty cool, Keith had to admit. Lance slowed the speeder to a stop past some of the alcoves. Keith couldn’t really see inside them, but he couldn’t stop the surprised look when a tall male Iria-Sora crawled out of the small round opening. Keith couldn’t believe that they could get in and out with such large appendages growing from their backs. If Lance noticed him staring at the homes he didn’t say anything. There was a moment before Keith realized that they weren’t moving and he was just standing there with his arms wrapped around his partner. Lance removed his hand off of his and slowly Keith removed his arms. It was okay until it wasn’t and Keith was flailing trying not to fall off before Lance caught his hand and helped him down. Keith glared at him as he somehow gracefully got off and powered down the machine with a press of a button.

      Tortalean landed near them, the crystals on the ground scattering in the gust of his wings. Lance took his helmet off, setting it near the speeder. Keith moved to do the same and as he was setting it down he started to notice the iria-Sora crowding around them. He was used to crowds, but he was surprised that they still kept a reasonable distance, whispering among themselves quietly. What was interesting was that none of them were looking at him, their eyes trained on Lance. Said Paladin waved and smiled and the avian hybrids suddenly no longer looked nervous, huge smiles overtaking their faces. They didn’t charge at them though, watching in earnest as they began their walk to the castle. As they did, Keith began to look at the different styles of clothes they wore. The males were dressed in a simple drapery that allowed their wings to be free, though they seemed to keep them tucked in close to their bodies when not in use. The females wore a similar style with a long tassel rope tied around the middle. Most were tall, approaching 7 feet, with most having cropped hair, intricate designs shaved into the sides or back. Keith wondered how the fabrics were created, the surface barren. Perhaps from the other planets in the district. The Iria-Sora on the guard had pants and a long shirt, armor covering their right shoulder and breast. Quivers attached at the hip along with the collapsible bow. Keith was interested about how that worked, but he had no time to ask as they entered through a archway that symbolized the entrance. Where the castle walls were simply carved out of the mountain, the furnishings were made out of something liken to glass if Keith had to guess. They were much more reflective than the walls, completely see through. As they passed by the tables lining the entry Keith could see carefully etched designs were present on the surface. He was surprised that he wasn’t completely correct in the description that they were completely clear, however, small iridescent flecks riddled the whole piece. The large chandelier hanging from the center of the entryway was elegant, branches twisting and intertwining around a central prism. The light from the sun shined in and hit the crystalline piece just right, the beams twinkling off to the small droplets dangling from the branches. It hung over a small round pool, decorated with inset opal like jewels around the edge. Keith couldn’t believe just how beautiful everything was. It all felt so fragile, like it would shatter at his touch.

      They rounded the pool and as they continued through the central hallway he noticed that there was a distinct lack of doors and very high ceilings. The Iria-Sora here were more noble dressed than the ones outside, Simple silver circlets resting over pointed brows. They had different colored ropes a looped around their waists, spindles of silver around the ends of the tassels. Keith started to notice they also often had two pairs of wings instead of one, the smaller set resting inside the other. They were still all modest colors, browns and grays, some speckled, some bi-colored. Keith didn’t have much time to look before they were passing under another grand archway. Lance stopped and held an arm out, stopping Keith as well. His posture was rim-rod straight, his head held high. He lowered his arm and Keith tried to imitate the stance. Tortalean walked forth and stopped before the large round table before bowing in the same stature that Lance had earlier. The nobles sat at the table looked perturbed at the disturbance before the guard spoke confidently.

      “ _My Lords, I present his royal highness, Prince Layance.”_  He shot up quickly and swept his arm out in a large gesture towards Lance, who simply smiled. The shocked faces of the noble Iria-Sora only lasted seconds before grins broke out among their faces.

_“Why it’s so good to see you!”_

_“Back so soon?”_

_“Couldn’t stay away could you?”_

_“Not that we aren’t glad to see you, but isn’t it a little soon for you to be back your highness? It’s no better than when you left a sinc and a half ago.”_ among all the whistles of excitement, Keith’s ears screaming at all of the high-pitched calls overlapping each other, a small and quiet female Iria-Sora raised her hand and spoke timidly. The group fell silent and looked to Lance for an answer. He sighed, shooting a glance at Keith before turning to look at the young creature.

     “ _We shall await King Gorfal and I will explain it all to you at once. I’d hate to have to explain this more than twice if all can be avoided.”_ A loud and deep call broke the calming chime of Lance’s voice.

     “ _Well, then, I best not keep you all waiting! So sorry I’m late!”_ Through the archway at the other side of the room came a Iria-Sora wide as he was tall. Silken robes draped his body, his talons painted silver to match the ornaments hanging from the rope that was barely wrapped around his large stomach. Three pairs of enormous golden brown wings stretched out and filled the entry to the archway. His hair was shaved on one side, long ringlets falling from the other with small crystal charms looped within. A large and intricate circlet rested upon his head, large twisting racks extending from it with more crystal droplets hanging from them. His eyes shone like rust, almost appearing to be red against his darker complexion. Keith managed to bow at the same time that Lance did, and hoped his arms were in the right position. He made sure to sweep his leg out and around and maintain the position when they righted and he caught Lance’s surprised glance. His face positively sparkled as a wide grin broke on his face and Keith struggled to keep his blush in check. Lance turned back to the King and gave him a look that shined with mirth.

     “ _Good Morning King Gorfal.”_ The king smiled and in a large movement, jumped and flew over the table and landed in front of Lance before he was wrapping him in a huge hug.

     “ _Layance, my boy! It’s only been a sinc, but it has felt like a hundred! It's just so dull without you here to get my boys into trouble!”_ Lance laughed at whatever the King had said and even if Keith had no idea what was going on, the fact that Lance looked so carefree and happy here was worth it. They pulled apart and Lance gestured to Keith, the smile on his face only growing larger.

     “ _Alas, while Cronea and Heoshi learned to behave themselves without me, I got into just as much trouble with my partner, Keith Kogane.”_ He nodded towards the King at the mention of his name, but didn’t try and say anything. “ _Please, let’s sit. I have much to tell you all.”_

     They were seated and from then on out Keith was lost to the conversation. Despite his earlier threats, Lance didn’t switch to English at any point and Keith was content to sit and simply watch his counterpart talk. Extravagant gestures flowed as he spoke to the King rapidly. It was honestly kind of amazing. Lance hadn’t just learned their language, he was fluent in it. He never paused in his tales, the King just as invested in them as the rest of the table was. To anyone else it probably looked like Keith didn’t care at all, but he knew there was a certain softness to his eyes when he looked at the other that proved he was hanging on to every whistle and chime. Keith longed to know what they were saying, but there was no eloquent way to translate without looking like a fool. Throughout the conversations the other Iria-Sora would look his way, smiles on their faces, and Keith tried to not look uncomfortable. He didn’t mind the bird people, but he always felt a sense of unease when he didn’t know what was being said.

     Soon there was a bit of a lull and before Keith could make any assumptions, the King had stood and threw his arms out in a wide gesture. He smiled at Lance and Keith before nodding towards the archway leading back to the main hall.

     “How about we dine in honor of you and your Heilo’s triumphant return, yes?” Lance blushed while Keith stood. English he could understand and he had heard promise of food. He assumed that when the King had mentioned Lance’s Heilo he had meant him, and from what he knew of the word, it was a kind of honor. He might not know the full specifics of it, but he would wear the title with pride. He was still unsure about this whole thing, but something irked him that this might not be the first time Lance had been to the planet. He was _too_ familiar with it; from working the machines, to the excitement of the Iria-Sora. Not to mention the King’s comment about a triumphant return? Unlikely he had said that because they were paladins. As they followed the King, who was flapping with a pep in his step, Keith thought back to when he had started thinking of the different possibilities. Part alien Lance? More likely than you think! If one of Lance’s parents had been from a different planet and had to leave like Keith’s mother had, and something happened to the other and that left Lance to be adopted- Was that really out of the realm of possibility? Could they have been Iria-Sora? Keith, who was following behind the Blue Paladin out of respect, took a moment to look long and hard at him. Well he certainly didn’t have feathers or talons. Iria-Sora were also not quite as- reflective? As Lance. Lance, especially in the purple-ish light of the Haven’s sun, was very shimmery. But none of the Iria-Sorans sparkled like that. Some other race then. Maybe… He did speak Boia-Sora too… It still seemed like a huge stretch. Hell, the Alteans that ventured here so many years ago hadn’t even managed to see Boia-Sora, how would they end up on Earth? Keith shook his head. This was _way_ too confusing.

     Through the archway and one of the other passageways, they entered a huge dining room. It was honestly more of a mess hall if Keith was being fair. He thought the table at the Castle of Lions was large, but this table put it to shame. It was made out of that same glass-like material, but it was covered by pallets of food. Some he recognized, others he didn’t. There was Iria-Sora flying in and out with plate-fulls, landing to eat at many of the different placeholders along the probably 50 foot table. Oddly enough, there weren’t any chairs. Any qualms he might have had against it was squashed when King Gorfal moved in and grabbed a plate, and Lance followed to do the same. If there was anything that Keith was exceptionally good at aside from knifes, it was eating food. Free alien food didn’t deter from that. He was reaching for some purple mush that kind of looked like mashed potatoes when Lance pointed at some long green stick things.

     “Those are freaking delicious. Take some before I take them all. Gods I haven’t had these in forever!” Keith didn’t hesitate in following his lead to take a bunch and munched on one as he filled his plate with some pink macaroon things. He nodded approvingly; they were good! Kind of sour, but fresh like celery. The liquid inside was certainly not water, instead sweet and acidic. He was glad he grabbed as many as he did. It seemed like you kind of just ate and rotated around the table to grab more if you wanted it. There was inlaid benches along the outside that you could sit and after Lance pressed some sort of drink into his hand, Keith gladly sat down. They didn’t talk for a while, content with stuffing their faces with the good variety of food that wasn’t space goo. Keith took a drink from the glass he had been handed and was surprised to find that it had a bit of an alcoholic aftertaste. He turned and raised his eyebrow at his partner.

     “Lance did you get us some sort of fruity tequila?” Lance flailed a bit.

     “No! It’s a little fermented, but you’d have to drink like a whole pool before you’d get drunk!”

     “Are you saying that from experience?”

     “No! My mom would kill me! One glass won’t make you tip over!” Keith laughed and had another sip. He could tell it was super diluted and wouldn’t intoxicated them, but it was fun to make Lance spaz out. Interesting moreover was the way that it sounded like Lance had definitely had it before. Keith wondered when amongst their seven month adventure in space that Lance could have visited the ice blue planet. They were pretty much on call all the time, but I guess he could have taken some sort of nightly trip. Keith didn’t think too hard about it. It wouldn’t probably be much longer before he spilled the beans. He was inhaling more of the green stick things when he nudged him again. Lance, who had been looking off into the crowds of different Iria-Sora turned back to look at him questionably.

     “Did you tell him about taking out the base?” Lance nodded.

     “Yah. He didn’t seem all too thrilled about it, considering we still haven’t talked to m- Queen Cryniss. Her opinion is really what matters since she doesn’t agree with the peace treaty and continues to attack the ships that try and take the resources from beneath.”

     “So, why do we need to talk to her? If King Gorfal was the one that is for the treaty, isn’t he the one we need to be making sure is down for taking out the base and breaking the treaty?” Lance shook his head and took a large drink from his glass.

     “Yes and no. The main source of material and agriculture comes from under water and the Boia-Sora. When the King and Queens of Sora signed that treaty so long ago, it was in agreement that that would be the best way of insuring the safety of the planet as a whole. But over time the relations between the Iria and Boia have become tense. Queen Sarion was the first to refuse to let the Galran ships enter the Boia-Sora kingdom to take valuable resources and that caused the Galra on base to lash out at the Iria-Sora. Queen Cryniss wants to get rid of the Galra influence on the planet no doubt, but King Gorfal wouldn’t back down because he was afraid that too many lives would be lost. With us here, the King still doesn’t want to attack, even if it means freedom because if we go to talk to Queen Cryniss, she’ll push him to say yes.” Keith shook his head.

     “But isn’t that what we want?” Lance shrugged.

     “Ultimately, but King Gorfal doesn’t want her to make the decision that now is the best time to attack simply because we have arrived to help. She needs to think critically about this; his and her people are on the line.” Keith nodded.

     “So are we going to just destroy the base without telling them? Resolve all this stupid inter-planet arguing over moral for them?”

     “Yep.”

     “Sweet. I love disobeying orders.”

     They didn’t waste much time after that, finishing quickly and waving to the King on their way out. He didn’t seem to question it and Keith was starting to think that Lance had a pretty big presence here. The Iria-Sora they passed seemed to worship the ground he walked upon as much as the Kings. Keith wasn’t going to question it- honestly it was kind of nice. They made their way out of the castle and once they were outside again, they were quick to put their helmets on and hop onto the speeder. Lance apparently already knew were to head, though he didn’t say anything to Keith on the matter. They didn’t go as fast this time and Keith was able to get a better look at the different settlements of the Iria-Sora as they went farther inland. Amongst the small hovels that they lived in, small patches of land had been cultivated and served as small gardens. Long polls had been carved out and what appeared to be some sort of wire laid between to make clothes lines, the richly colored fabrics flapping in the distant wind. There were groups of children littered about, sat together in circles each following an adult in some type of schooling lesson. It seemed that most activities took place outside, small tables or archways carved out of the rock when needed. It looked to Keith like as a civilization, they weren’t very advanced in their technology, almost middle ages like. Yet there were certain things that were way ahead, like strange communication devices or the speeders. Where this technology came from, Keith didn’t know but he was almost certain it wasn’t from the planet. They sped past, following a path that seemed to exist, though for what purpose was a mystery. The Iria-Sora pretty much flew everywhere and they filled the skies like huge hawks. Various calls and conversations could be heard as they passed, their chirps almost as loud as the sound of the wind whipping past them.

     Eventually they stopped and Keith looked around in surprise. Where they had landed looked to be just outside of some sort of shooting range. Targets of all shapes and sizes ranged, laid out randomly along a huge open expanse of land. Arrows whizzed through the air, some hitting their marks, others missing entirely. Keith’s gaze followed up to find Iria-Sora of all shapes and sizes flying above or standing below with bow in hand. He could vaguely hear the call of a whistle issuing groups to line up and attack. Before he could spend anymore time admiring the masterful arch of the arrows passageway, Lance had shut the speeder off and was letting out a deafening whistle. Keith was slightly disturbed about how his mouth could make such a loud noise, but was suddenly very grateful that he hadn’t used it inside before. Seemingly out of nowhere, Tortalean landed in a huge flush on the ground in front of them, making crystals go flying out from him. He had a huge grin on his face, his slitted yellow eyes glinting with fun at the two of them.

     “ _Ah, what brings you back to the range so fast? Still think you can beat me?”_ Lance laughed and punched the Iria-Soran guard in the shoulder lightly.

     “ _Regardless of the fact that I totally still can, we came for a less fun matter.”_  Tortalean quirked his head to the side in question. It dawned on Keith that they were here to get back up. “ _Don’t tell Gorfal, but we’re on our way to take out the Galra base. We could use your help if you’re up to it.”_ A surprised look overtook his features before a nasty grin grew. With his talons resting on his hip in a cocky pose, Tortalean spoke.

     “ _If you can hit the mountain bullseye, you’ve got yourself some help from the First Circle.”_ Lance practically glowed with excitement and challenge. Keith had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He could tell Lance was about to attempt something. He could feel it.

     “ _Oh you’re on lazy-shot!”_ Before Keith could stop the other, Lance was sprinting off, snatching up one of the bows from the racks. Oh God, Keith could tell where this was going. He followed as Lance took up stance on a patch of ground that had been marked with a dark blue circle. Keith watched as Lance threw his arm out and the bow un-collapsed, a glowing string pulling taut between the arch. Tortalean moved and handed him a single arrow with a sharp four pointed arrowhead at the end. Lance smiled and his eyes moved to catch Keith’s. If possible his grin stretched wider.

     “Watch this. They don’t call me the sharpshooter for nothing.” Keith watched in earnest as Lance loaded the arrow with proficiency he usually lacked and angled up, the end of the arrow resting against his cheek. There was a moment where it seemed like nobody on the range moved, and then Lance released. Keith hadn’t even looked to see where the target even was, but his eyes followed the arch of the arrow, it’s tip shining. He saw it then; the target. At the very top of one of the mountains, probably well over a hundred feet away. He could barely see it, but he could definitely see where the arrow landed.

     Directly in the center of the target.


	14. Chapter 14: Yikes.exe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is dope don't get be wrong but I missed counted so 15 is the one that's gunna knock your socks off ;p sorry for the late upload... I was literally driving all day -_-' I still haven't written anything sooooooooooo yikes. but my friends getting on my ass about it so maybe one day there will be new content xD  
> -Enjoy!

     Keith’s mouth dropped open. There was no way he had just hit that, but there Lance was, laughing in earnest as Tortalean shook his head in shame. Lance looked over at Keith’s face, still blown away by that shot and his smile turned slightly bashful. That left Keith to rush over and wave his hands around.

     “That was amazing! How in the holy hell did you manage to hit that? I could hardly see the target from here! And on the first try!” Lance’s whole face flushed at the praise and he waved his hand absently, trying to look like Keith’s comments hadn’t made him extremely proud.

     “I’ve done archery my whole life- That was nothing! What’s cooler is now Tortalean and the First Circle are going to help us take out the base.” Keith nodded and held his fist up. Lance bumped it and smirked.

     “Then, let’s go destroy the ever-loving fuck out of those Galra scum.”

     “Hell yeah!”

     They wasted no time jumping back onto the speeder, as Tortalean let out a different pitched, but equally loud, whistle and a flock (?) of 6 other Iria-Sora came swooping in. they were armed to the high heavens and Keith smiled. This might end up being one of the easiest missions ever. His eyes met Tortaleans and the bird creature simply winked at him before the speeder lurched and shot off. Keith was sure even under the visor of his helmet, his blush would have been visible. He simply wrapped his arms tighter around the others middle and used the time to get into battle ready mode.

     The journey took a lot longer than the other times they had ridden on the speeder, skipping over a large expanse of ocean at some point and it was closer to midday by the time that Keith saw the formation approaching relatively fast.  The base wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t the smallest either. It was mostly put together from what he could tell from the outside, but there was only one ship at the docking station and no sentries were stationed outside. Lance wasted no time parking and shutting the machine off, leaping off and turning to look at Keith with a growing smirk. Keith’s lips twitched into a smile as the Iria-Sora landed around them. There was a moment of hesitation before Lance spoke.

     “Alright, everyone listen to Keith cuz’ he’s got the battle plan.” Keith rolled his eyes before launching into  a detailed description. They knew that because of its particular size, it was one of maybe three or four possible layouts, making it easy to know the possible guard rotations. Because of their now added artillery, Keith was able to station groups of two at each of the entrances, Tortalean choosing to stick with Lance at the front gates. Keith would take two others at the docking entrance, while the others entered through side doors. They had an element of surprise thankfully and Keith didn’t pause in suggesting that Lance should let out one of his ear splitting whistles so they could all enter at the same time as a synchronized attack. They all nodded and Keith was suddenly very thankful that they all knew English; this process sometimes taking far too long on planets that didn’t. Lance raised his bayard as it transformed into his usual rifle. Keith raised his in similar fashion and with sword in hand, clasped the other in the Blue Paladins.

     “Let’s go!” With the call the group split up and soon they were in position, hidden in the growing shadows of the midday sunlight. Keith could no longer see his partner, but he definitely heard him when the call went out. They rushed in and were immediately rushed with a group of unsuspecting sentries. Keith spoke over the coms, “Form B: Rotation 3” He could hear the affirmative from Lance as he lashed out against the robotic guards, arrows whizzing past him and taking out the others. Once the rotation was known, Keith sprung into action, leading the way through the corridors to the main control deck, the Iria-Sora making quick work of any other personnel in the way with quick fire. Lance called that he’d be at the deck in 5 and cut out again as Keith made it to the security locked door. Just for shits and giggles he knocked on the door and waited for the very confused and panicked general open it. Finally the alarms started going off as he opened the door, only to be locked into sudden hand to hand combat with the Red Paladin. He was tall, even for a Galran, and his ears were disproportionately large for his head. Deep violet marks ran down the sides of his nose making it appear sharper. A large gash ran across his whole face and Keith didn’t wait to try and add to his collection. He raised his shield in time to block the few shots that the general managed to get out from his small gun before Keith’s backup started to litter him with arrows. They didn’t make much of a difference, but it was a good enough distraction for Keith to run his blade though his middle. Unfortunately with such close combat, he managed to grab Keith by the throat, pulling him up. He was bleeding out fast, but so was Keith’s air supply. Panicked, Keith shifted involuntarily and his sharpened nails clawed at the hand on his throat. He knew the Iria-Sora weren’t shooting because they didn’t have a clear shot, but damn he was close to passing out. He grit his teeth and hoped that when he went limp that they could clear him out, but just as he was preparing he heard a weird guttural scream over the coms.

     “ _DROP HIM NOW!”_ Shots were fired and the hand holding him went dead causing Keith to drop to the floor, sputtering for air. His head throbbed and everything swayed a little as the alarms continued to blare in the background. Lance rushed to his side and pulled their helmets off, cradling Keith’s face in his hands. Keith focused on Lance’s eyes as he gulped for air.

     “I-I’m o-okay. Thanks.” Lance let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his thumb over his cheek before pulling away to stand and hold a hand out to pull Keith up as well. He didn’t look over at the sad remains of the general that didn’t even get much of a chance. (these days if you don’t have corrupted quintessence injections you’re not even a player on the field against the Paladins of Voltron!) Keith made his way to the main console and hacked in, Lance by his side reading the text and directing him what to press. They managed to get the base onto a ten minute countdown to self destruction before getting the hell out of there. They got just the right distance away before it went up in a grand explosion and the Iria-Sora First Circle team cheered at the climbing flames. Keith didn’t look long, instead getting distracted looking at the sharpened points of his nails poking through the fabric of the under armor. He could tell his ears were flattened against his head in shame. They had been training so that something like this didn’t happen, and in the heat of battle he hadn’t been able to control it at all. It hadn’t even been a conscious decision. He was pulled out of his thoughts when a pair of similarly clad hands slid into his.

     “Hey now, don’t be like that. You were in danger, it was an automatic fear response.” Keith’s head snapped up, a wave of anger sweeping through him.

     “There’s no excuse! We practiced it so that that wouldn’t happen! I should be able to control it even in dangerous situations!” Lance simply smiled and squeezed his hands.

     “And you will, with time. You can’t expect yourself to be an expert at it after only a couple weeks. Relax. Be glad it happened here, without the rest of the team.” Keith’s head lulled in shame as Lance pulled him in and wrapped his arms around to give a rather suffocating hug. He knew he was right, but it was still irritating. His ears perked when Lance spoke again. “This also means more practice snuggles!” his shoulders dropped as his mood lightened. He was still far too upset and wired to shift back, but none of the Iria-Sora commented on it, flying off instead to spread the good news.

     When they got back to the speeder, Lance pressed some buttons on the side of the main console and a large panel opened and he stuffed their helmets inside before they closed. He hopped on before Keith could question him and was pulled up and on as well. Unlike the other times they had used the machine, they didn’t take off at a high speed, instead taking a light cruise. Keith didn’t have to hold on quite as tight and the light wind tousled his hair as they sped farther away from the wreckage of the destroyed base. Over the whistle of the air Lance looked over his shoulder and gave a big grin.

     “It’s time for a scenic trip!” Keith just raised an eyebrow before they kicked off the land and bounced over the water. He looked around and he could admit that Sora was a beautiful planet with purplish blue oceans stretching out as far as thee eye could see, the large towering white and reflective continents and islands growing like icebergs out of the still water. It practically glowed in the sunlight, but the surface of the water itself wasn’t clear and he couldn’t see what could live beneath it. It was like a sheen layer laid atop like a protective screen, but the blast from the jets of the speeder broke it and as Keith looked behind he could see underneath for a brief second before it reformed. It looked just like Earth’s oceans; wide, deceptively empty, and extensive. A part of him longed to see what it was like, to experience the Boia-Sora and their kingdom, but if the Alteans couldn’t venture there all those years ago, the chance that he get to was even slimmer. It was sad to think he would only get to see half of the beautiful planet.

     He eyes were drawn back to the navigator and he felt his insides melt a little. The look on Lance’s face was one he had really never seen before. It was like he was blissed out, calm and serene. No worry, no anxiety, just pure unbridled joy. He simply glinted and Keith was blown away by how much he looked like he belonged. There was a certain serenity here that made Keith almost upset that they had to leave. No matter how Lance managed to find this place, he could definitely see why. It had a different sort of stillness, unlike the desert that was desolate and dry, that was calming where you could still feel the movements of the planet even if you couldn’t see it. It didn’t feel empty like the desert did despite being just as open. Keith decided he liked it very much, and not just because he could see it while being wrapped around his undeniably favorite person next to his brother. He let out a whoop of excitement as they sped up and Lance dipped the side of the speeder in the water, spraying water everywhere. He knew he could shift back now, but he honestly didn’t want to. His soured mood had evaporated and he wanted to be happy without thinking about what he looked liked at the moment.

     And he could admit that. Right here, right now, he was content. Something about what a future could be pinged within him and he realized that if he had his way, this is how he wanted his future to be. He knew that he was still to young to even comprehend what kind of future he should want, but something about this surreal experience left him with a feeling like this was it. The thought planted itself like a seed under his stomach to sit and grow there from then on.

     They continued for a while longer, jumping over islands and passing by the different Iria-Sora waving at them. Not batting an eye at Keith’s changed appearance. He wondered if was because of the peace treaty or if they somehow already knew and had gotten over it. Either way, it was nice after the teams reactions to it. There wasn’t any judgement here. It was nice. They were going slow enough then that a small child flew with them and gave a lovely yellow flower with purple undersides to Keith, who having lost all impulse control nodded in thanks, smiled, and put it behind Lance’s ear. He looked back and grinned at him and the child giggled before flying off again. They continued on, enjoying the nice weather and lack of responsibilities, riding all the way back to the castle. King Gorfal stood at the entrance, no longer joyful. Keith wondered if this is why Allura and Shiro never let Lance and Keith go on missions alone. He didn’t wait for them, turning around and walking back inside, assuming they knew to follow. Keith looked at Lance, but he just shrugged and headed inside. Keith shifted back as they walked, figuring that this was probably not the time or place. When they reached the meeting room, Gorfal was already seated, a deep frown on his face.

     “I’ve heard some interesting news.” He spoke curtly and Keith was starting to understand now why he was the King. Before he had been rowdy and fun, but if he needed to get down to business… Lance simply nodded.

     “I imagine it spread quickly. Congratulations! The Galran base on Sora had been destroyed.” King Gorfal simply shook his head.

     “This solves nothing, and only makes matters worse. Now we are a target. I wish I could speak to Queen Cryniss, but alas she will not open communication. You will have to go and speak with her about this.”

     “Of course. Though I don’t know what you’re so up in arms about. If you both agree to join the Voltron Alliance, you will be protected from Zarkon and his forces; I will make sure of that. Voltron is fighting back and we are winning. It’s time that Sora, or even Haven, stops cowering and stands up for its people and the universe.” Gorfal simply narrowed his eyes at him.

     “You have learned much while you were away, but you are still naive and young. Do not think that just because you’ve fought back and won battles, that the tides will always be in your favor. You still have a lot to learn _Little Prince._ ” Lance scoffed at him and Keith almost wanted to bash him upside the head. He leveled his gaze with the Kings.

     “I understand that we are young and inexperienced, but we wouldn’t have taken the chance and destroyed the base if we didn’t think it was in the best efforts. We have liberated hundreds of planets in just these short couple of months, and for those who don’t want to fight in the war, we aren’t going to make you. But I can guarantee that your planet will be safe. Voltron’s ultimate goal is to defeat Zarkon and the ever growing Galra empire and return the universe to a time of peace not known for ten thousand years. The fact that we have made more progress towards that goal in seven months than you’ve done over those ten thousand years, only proves that what you’re currently doing isn’t solving the problem.” Keith finished in a huff, anger seeping out of him. Lance leaned back, dropping the authoritarian aura to lace their fingers together, squeezing his hand. Keith let the tension leak out of his shoulders and squeezed back. The King had yet to say anything about his little rant, but Lance was obviously very done with this conversation.

     “If you have any further qualms we will be in my room after dinner. We’re done here.” Lance swiftly turned and pulled Keith along. As they left through the archway, Gorfal called out from behind them.

     “You really are your mother’s son.” Lance only smirked.

    “Well, at least neither of us are cowards!” If the King had responded, Keith hadn’t heard it. They moved swiftly, hand in hand, to the dining room. They didn’t talk much after that, gathering their plates. Keith grabbed the various alien culinary, but he wasn’t paying much attention to what he was grabbing. They settled back down where they had sat much earlier in the day, when tensions were not so taut. Keith didn’t have the strength, or bravery maybe, to ask about the comments that had been made, the awkward silence between them unsettling, but perhaps a glance of normality. Lance’s eyes were glazed over, not unlike the look that he faced so many weeks ago on the small moon of Dolra. He was missing something, but what it was, Keith didn’t know. “Your mother’s son,” the King had said. This implied he knew Lance’s mother, and wasn’t fond of her. He wondered if that was another thing that they shared; halflings who’s mothers derived from planets far beyond Earth. Maybe he would have the courage to ask the Blue Paladin one day. But for now, amongst his swimming thoughts, he focused on the proclaimed meeting with the Queen of the Boia-Sora. King Gorfal seemed to perceive her as a benevolent ruler with a hot temper, but diplomatic leniency for the good of her people. Keith didn’t honestly know what to think. He had no notes to go off of, no Altean having ever seen a Boia-Sora in the flesh. He wondered if they would come up, of if they would go down. Red hated water and would refuse to go into the hued liquid, so how would they get to the supposed underwater kingdom? As was becoming the expected, Lance obviously knew how, but he didn’t jump at the opportunity to tell Keith. Keith figured he would have to ask him himself, but even now, mostly through dinner he didn’t feel it was right to ask. Something about it seemed off limits. Like asking about how he knew the languages, how he knew the people of this planet. Another secret that would reveal itself over time perhaps, like Lauren had said. He had to give absolute trust in his partner and hope that he would one day feel comfortable enough to tell him everything.

     He was startled out of his thoughts when Lance stood and motioned for him to follow. Keith wasted no time jumping up to follow him through the maze of white corridors and up a strangely winding staircase placed around another bend. Less and less Iria-Sora were seen within the inner folds of the castle, the sun’s light slowly descending. Days on Sora were only slightly longer than those on Earth with an added bonus of six or so hours. The purple shadows bounced off the walls providing a strange luminescence to the twisting stairs. Keith followed Lance up silently, watching the light reflect off of him as well making it as though he was a creature creeping through a forbidden land. More hallways greeted them at the top, the open doorways of rooms darkened. Keith fought back a shudder at the almost haunting vibe he now had upon wandering the castle. He didn’t know if it was simply a trick of the lights as daytime closed or if a part of him was peeling away at the shining cover that the King of the Iria-Sora held, making his castle seem as though it was now an enemy’s territory. He almost stumbled when Lance turned sharply into one of the rooms and Keith halted as he tried to make out the contents of the room.


	15. Chapter 15: a Cursive Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are so nice omg :')) Thank you all for your continued support and kindness!!! BUT HERE IT IS I love this chapter so much like it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (*o*) I saw JackSepticEye live with my friend and she made me start writing again so there's finally some new content #googledoc now has 100 pages yeet xD in other news I AM LOWKEY PANICKING FOR S6 OKAY THE TRAILER AND THE TWEETS LIKE MY DUDES WE GUNNA DIE but also this weekend is all the Pride events and my girlfriend is coming up in two weeks I'm SO EXCITED :D  
> -ENJOY!!!

     He watched as Lance snapped his fingers over what looked like a large basin in the center of the room. It erupted in flames and Keith could see it was actually filled with a strange dark maroon powder. He wondered if it was similar to gunpowder, but his gaze was ultimately lifted to look around the rest of the room. It was huge, but clearly a bedroom; a large bed across from the basin. Like the tables downstairs, all the furniture was made out of that clear glass-like material; the bed frame, the armoire, the chairs. Another exquisite chandelier hung from the high ceilings, the light of the fire dancing in the crystals. Small steps that led into what appeared to be a inlaid pool rested along the edge of the room beneath large windows. It showed a breathtaking view of the white mountains and the expansive sea. Keith walked over, watching as the sun slowly sunk closer to the horizon. The sunset on Sora was beautiful, the skies turning fiery purples and blues, the navy and black of the night sky bleeding into the colors seamlessly. It was a view fit for a king. He said as much as Lance joined him peering at the ocean laid out before them like an awaiting subject. He laughed to himself.

     “Prince.” Keith tore his gaze from the sky to turn and look at his partner. He cocked his head in question, but Lance simply shook his head. When he finally turned to look at Keith, the softness in his eyes and the small smile that graced his face had Keith’s heart soaring. He was stunning in this lighting; back-lit by a warm fire, but shaded by the cool tones of blue and violet. Keith held his breath as Lance grabbed his hands holding them before him. He slowly turned his palms over and his eyes traced the lines of his fingers hidden within the glove of his scuffed and damaged suit. He didn’t meet his eyes when he spoke. “When I saw you, dangling out of reach and suffocating- I have never been so angry and afraid. I’m not sure how I knew, but something pulled taut in my gut and suddenly the sentries I had been fighting were crumbled to the ground and I was sprinting towards the control room. I-I never want to see you like that again. We’ll train harder, fight better, win this war- but I can’t lose you.” Keith was quiet, stunned and amazed. Carefully he pulled his hands from his grasp and placed them on his face, their eyes meeting.

     “You won’t. We can’t win this war without each other, the team. I know that I can always count on you to have my back, and I will always have yours.” He leaned in until their foreheads were touching, his eyes glimmering with hope. “I trust you Lance. With my life.” Lance didn’t say anything as silent tears streamed down his face, his lip wobbling in earnest. Slowly Keith wiped his tears away with his thumbs. Lance closed his eyes and whispered near silently. 

     “ _ Thank you.”  _ Keith’s eyes flickered over his face as he said the quiet Boia-Soran thank you. In that moment all he wanted to do was lean the rest of the way to meet his lips, but he couldn’t seem to do it. Gently he felt Lance’s hands rest on his hips and when their eyes met again he could see doubt swimming in his. He rubbed his thumbs over his cheeks again before he took that leap of faith and closed the distance between them as his eyes slid shut. His lips were soft, and moved hesitantly against his before gaining confidence. Keith slid his hands past his face and tangled themselves in his hair. Lance’s grip on his hips tightened and Keith fought back the growl of approval seated in his throat. They broke apart for air and when he dared to open his eyes again, Lance was glowing with happiness. He let out a huff of laughter and Keith found himself starting to smile along. Something inside him clicked; this was right. He had found his better half. 

     They pulled apart against Keith’s wishes and Lance grabbed his hand and tugged him along to the armoire. He opened the clear doors and began ruffling through different garments before pulling out some pairs made of a soft material. He threw one at Keith before rushing to pull his armor off. Keith dropped it and started taking his off as quick as he could, but as he was nearly falling over himself trying to get the rest of the under layer off, Lance proudly stood in nothing but his boxers, whooping and swinging his under layer around.

     “I won! Take that!” Keith groaned and face palmed. Damn that was 25 to 34- Lance. 

     “I’ll win the next time.” He grumbled as Lance laughed and pulled the nightgown over his head. 

     “In your dreams! I’m the fastest in and out!” Keith merely pulled the garment on and gave Lance a look. It took a moment before Lance’s whole face turned bright red. 

     “I-not like that! I’ll have you know I’m a gentle lover.”

     “Shame.”

      Keith chose to run and jump onto the bed leaving Lance standing there with his mouth wide open. He barely managed a large exclamation of “Hey!” before jumping after Keith, nearly crashing on top of him despite the large amount of unoccupied space that he could have aimed for. Keith didn’t have time to react before Lance’s fingers were dancing on his sides and making him burst out laughing. He struggled and tried to push his hands away to no avail. He was laughing so hard he didn’t notice that he shifted until he finished taking a huge gulp of air and found Lances eyes trained on him. He watched as Lance reached up and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, his hand trailing down the side of his face.

     “Beautiful.” Keith could feel his cheeks heat up at the complement. Lance’s smile grew larger at the sight and dipped in quickly to press his lips to the tip of Keith’s nose. Keith pushed his face away and turned over to bury his face into the pillow.

     “Maybe this pillow will suffocate me” His voice was muffled, but he could hear Lance’s laughter regardless. He was suddenly shoved so hard that he sprawled out of the bed and onto the floor. He landed painfully and shot up quickly, ready to tackle the other.

     “What the hell was that for?!”

     “To sleep we must be under the blankets, you needed to move.”

     “And you didn’t think of just asking me to get up?!”

     “Now where’s the fun in that?”

     “I’m going to strangle you.”

     Lance dove under the blankets and Keith rushed to attack him. He didn’t get very far before Lance reached to tug on his ear. He hated how fast he melted at the touch. Lance gave it another rub before Keith felt him place his hand on the side of his neck.

     “No more strangling for either of us please.” Keith swallowed and nodded slowly. He was pulled into Lance’s arms, the blanket wrapped up around his shoulders. He was teetering on the edge of sleep when Lance murmured into the folds of his hair.

     “No more secrets tomorrow,  _ my Soul. _ ” 

     All Keith could do was smile before falling into a peaceful sleep. 

 

     He was vaguely awoken at some point in the early hours of the morning before the sun had risen fully by a sudden cold. He registered that Lance was getting out of the bed and as Keith peeled his eyes open he was startled to find two young female Iria-Sora talking to Lance in hushed tones. He shook himself more awake and started to get up as one tugged on a strand of Lance’s hair. He laughed as they left, turning and looking surprised to see Keith awake. 

     “Who was that?” His voice was heavy with sleep and he rubbed at his eye. Lance walked back over and flopped back onto the bed, his head resting in his palm as he rested on a elbow. 

     “Macean and her partner Roseln. They’re going to help get us outfitted.”

     “Outfitted?” A frown was overtaking Keith’s face. He hated playing dress up and was certainly wasn’t going to let some bird people he’d never met see him undress. Lance seemed to laugh at the expression.

     “Don’t worry about it- Boia fashion should look good on you!” Keith’s eyebrows scrunched together.

     “How do you know?” He waited, but Lance just looked down and didn’t respond. There was worry and doubt swimming in his eyes. Keith wanted to sigh and just shake the answers out of him, but the logical side of him that sounded suspiciously like Shiro said otherwise. He moved on instead. “You said partner-” Lance glanced back up and spoke confidently.

     “Romantically and work. There isn’t the same forms of normality on Sora that there are on Earth. Nobody cares here. We-They live long enough that they don’t have time to mess with predigest like that.” Keith chose to not comment on the odd slip up, and laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes. Planets where LGBT+ was the norm were always nice to go to and he was glad that Sora was one of them. 

     “Must be nice.” Was all he muttered. He was considering going back to sleep when he felt Lance poking the side of his face repeatedly. 

     “You can’t go back to sleep! They’re coming right back with all their supplies! Rise and shine buddy!” Keith simply threw his arm out to smack him before rolling over and pulling the blankets up and over his head. He could hear muffled laughter from underneath and he let out a loud hiss when the blanket was forcefully ripped off of him. 

     “Dude did you just hiss at me? Holy shit-” His laughter was cut short when Keith leaped off of the bed and tackled him to the floor. In a flurry of ungraceful play fighting, they managed to roll across the room- straight into the pool. Keith sputtered and flailed a bit as Lance shot up and shook himself, throwing water everywhere. Considering where they were Keith took no hesitation to latch onto the sopping wet material of Lance’s nightgown and drag him back under the water, dunking his head in. The pool was fairly deep farther out, a mysterious line of some glowing material lined the sides and illuminated it. Lance wasted no time shooting at an unimaginable speed to the other side, turning and looking at Keith from beneath the water. His nightgown billowed around him, his hair waving like a flame. His eyes seemed to almost glow as a predatory smile began to stretch upon his face. Keith was so mystified by him and his fluidity in the water that he didn’t react fast enough when Lance suddenly shot right at him. If his ass hadn’t already been on the floor of the pool, he would have struck it quick with how hard he flinched. 

     Lance stopped almost as quick as he had took off, ending up right in front of him and burst out into a fit of laughter. Keith crossed his arms and stuck his bottom lip out. Lance wasted no time grabbing him by the ears and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. The combination left a strangled sound coming out of his mouth before he could stop it and he chased after Lance’s mouth. Lance merely let out a huff of laughter and wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck, his legs curling around to wrap around Keith’s back so he was practically sitting in his lap. 

     “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” was all he said before he recaptured his lips. Keith had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but he let Lance take the lead and followed along well enough. It was a lot of things all at once. This wasn’t like the other kisses they’d shared since last night; hungry and wanting. It was a lot and not enough. Keith’s hands found their way to the others abdomen and he felt his strong muscles that laid beneath the thin layer of cloth. Above the water, his own gown stuck to his chest, his hair slicked to the back of his neck before Lance’s fingers laced through it and tugged. A growl escaped him as they broke, heaving deep breaths, their eyes locked in a wage of challenge inches apart. A sudden intake had them both jolting and turning to look at the two females that had returned. 

     “Oh my, I’m sorry we didn’t mean to intrude-”

     “Layance get out of the pool it’s entirely too early for your antics.” The seemingly younger of the two turned to look at the other with a rather appalled look on her face. Lance gave a cheeky grin and let go of Keith, floating backwards.

     “But Macean, Keith and I were enjoying ourselves!” Keith’s face was most likely bright magenta at this point, his ears flattened in embarrassment. The Iria-Sora with broad pearl wings, presumably Roseln, gently stepped over to Keith and held a hand out to him. 

     “Come now, let’s get you bathed and dressed; you’re meeting the Queen today after all.” Keith took her hand and was pulled up with surprising strength. He spared one last glance at his partner as he was led out of the room. Lance gave him a wink before diving into the water. Roseln didn’t let go of his hand as she pulled him along to a room a few doors down. This room was significantly smaller than the room that Lance and him had rested in, the bed and armoire occupying half the space. A basin still rested in the center, but there was no chandelier hanging above. They didn’t stop, however, until they had turned into what Keith assumed was the bathroom. Another basin lit the room in dim firelight and a large circular tub rested in the center, water already resting inside. When she finally released his hand Keith turned, expecting her to leave, but she stood steadfast. She looked at him with puzzled expression.

     “Do you require assistance undressing?” if Keith hadn’t been blushing before he definitely now. 

     “I-uh, no.” He turned his back to her and slowly gathered the bottom of the light pink nightgown and hurriedly pulled it up and over. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with it, but Roseln quickly came up and grabbed it from him. She stepped back, but still stayed. Keith shut his eyes and counted to 10 before he slipped out of his undergarments, quickly stepping into the tub and sinking below the surface. The water was pleasurably hot, especially after the dip in the cold water of the pool. When he popped back up, Roseln had already taken his clothes and had returned with a basket. She simply sat on the edge of the tub and retrieved a small bowl from inside. Keith watched as she scooped water into it before dumping it on his head. He sputtered a bit before she repeated the motion. It seemed that when she had said that he was getting bathed, she had literally meant that she was going to bathe him. He swallowed his embarrassment and let her do her work. She quietly asked him to turn around and he obliged, a sweet rosemary scent filling the room. Her talons worked quickly, threading themselves through the grime and tangles in his hair. It was surprisingly pleasant and he felt himself relax. He cracked an eye open when she spoke again.

     “You and the Prince are very close it seems. When did you meet?” It took a moment for Keith to realize that she was talking about Lance. Prince? An interesting title, but they seemed to all treat him like one now that he thought about it. Perhaps it was because he was a foreigner; one fighting to save the galaxy at that. It wouldn’t be the first time they were perceived as royalty. 

     “About three years ago I think. We went to the same school. We, uh, didn’t didn’t get really close until a couple of weeks ago- but I’ve liked him for a long time-” she hummed and continued to comb through his hair. A talon brushed by the base of his ear, but instead of the usual waves of pleasure, all he felt was a tingling that made him want to cringe and pull away. She seemed to notice and made sure not to bump them again, but Keith was left wondering why the sensation was different. Maybe it was because she was a stranger to him. He let go of the thought as she dumped more water over his head, rinsing the soap out. 

     “Well I’m glad. I haven’t seen him this joyful in many sincs.” Keith’s eyebrows furrowed as she placed a sort of sponge on his back and began washing. 

     “Your English is really good, but do you know how long a sinc is?” she seemed to think as she continued. 

     “I’m not quite sure what the equivalent is, but the Prince is 18 sincs old if that helps.” Keith nodded to himself. So a sinc was about a year. Convenient. He didn’t say anything as she turned him around and pulled his arm up to scrub it. She didn’t look at him as she asked another question. “I don’t mean to intrude, but when I last saw you, your appearance was quite different. May I ask what your ancestry is?” Keith watched her face for any sign of malicious intent, but she remained calm, the dusting of freckles that rested on her cheeks pulling attention to the dark hazel and gold of her eyes. 

     “I’m half Galran, half human. I can choose to look like either.” Her gaze met his as she began on his other arm.

     “I would suggest not presenting as Galran to the Queen. I’m sure she will not mind in the end because Prince Layance cares for you very much it seems, but after destroying the base it might not be the best move.” He nodded as she moved to rub circles into his chest. He looked away his blush returning full force. It was a bit of a surprise when she simply reached in and yanked his leg up and out of the water. He yelped, his claws clacking against the sides of the tub as he tried to regain balance, but she simply continued washing ignoring his struggling. He hissed at her when she placed the sponge on what should never be cleaned by anyone other than yourself and she backed off with a confused look. He took the sponge and turned around. After he was sufficiently clean he rinsed the sponge and turned to hand it back to her. She dumped more water on him before holding her hand out to pull him out of the tub. He shifted back as he got out and was wrapped in a long drapery. He clutched it as Roseln led him back out to the bedroom. She moved to shuffle through the armoire pulling out various pieces. She deposited it all on the bed and knelt in front of him, a small undergarment in her hands. Keith brushed his embarrassment away and stepped in quickly. She ruffled though some more clothes before pulling out what appeared to be a pair of pants. He hesitantly dropped the cloth and stepped into them as well. They were light, and almost felt like he was wearing nothing at all. They weren’t transparent, but they were the thinnest material he’d ever seen. They were a very light amethyst color that was just a shade too light.  Roseln sat on the floor and began wrapping his ankles and lower calf in some sort of binding, securing the bottoms of the pants from moving. As she stood, she pulled out another basket and took out some sort of measuring tape. She held it around his waist before moving to pull out some sort of belt. It clicked together, a small opal resting where the clasp lay. It rested on his hips evenly until she handed him his knife. When she had retrieved it from the other room, Keith didn’t know, but he noticed the sheath on the side of the belt and slipped it in where it held tight. Roseln proceeded to take a slimming sleeve of the same material and slip it over his left arm. It continued up and over his shoulder pulling to the center where Roseln connected a thin rope and opal clasp from under his right arm. The end of the sleeve had silver band that connected to a small bejeweled chain that ended with a ring that slipped over his middle finger. She pulled out silver layered shoulder armor similar to a pauldron and slipped it over top the sleeve and connected with another bejeweled chain to the opal clasp. A silver vambrace was attached to his right forearm before Roseln stepped back, nodded, and pulled him over to a small vanity. She brushed through his slight natural curls before pulling them up into a high ponytail and pinned his bangs to the side out of his eyes. Keith looked into the mirror and was surprised to say the least. He wasn’t glittering like Lance, but he certainly looked more radiant than usual, his violet eyes looking almost bright in the dim light of the room. 

     “I think you’re ready. Let’s return to the Prince’s quarters.” She took his hand and lifted him from the bench, her wings flapped slightly in excitement. Keith didn’t argue, even though he was perturbed that he wasn’t wearing shoes or a shirt and felt very breezy in the material. He was practically naked. When they entered the room Lance and Macean were nowhere to be seen, though Keith figured that they were in the bathroom since there wasn’t a vanity in the bedroom like the other room. He sat on the bed as Roseln made herself useful by picking up, before she quickly flew out of the room. He could hear Lance’s laughter from within the bathroom and he only had to wait a moment longer before Macean walked out, her rust colored wings significantly more ruffled than they had been when Keith had left. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

     “I don’t know how you can put up with him; he’s obnoxious.” Keith looked her dead in the eye.

     “If you threaten his life he usually shapes his shit up real quick.” She laughed.

     “You must actually pose a threat because when I tell him I’m going to drop him from the highest elevation he scoffs at me.” 

     “He’s not nicknamed samurai for his good looks that’s for sure.” 

     Keith turned when he heard the Blue Paladin’s voice and was rendered speechless. He had thought that he was lacking some clothes, but Lance went above and beyond. Silver armlets rested on his biceps, small looped and glittering chains dangled from them. A large carcanet covered his entire neck with sparkling aquamarine, sapphire, and moonstones. Chains that ended in opal droplets that laid against his tanned chest.The most shocking of all was the very thin, very revealing, sea foam green skirt. It didn’t go past his knees, cut at an angle so that it tapered to the right as it shimmered in the slowly growing light. Keith knew that if Lance so much as moved faster than a even walk he was going to get a view of something he probably shouldn’t see. 

     “Are you wearing anything under that?”

     “No~”


	16. Chapter 16: Lance has a tail????

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waaaaaa I'm so sorry for not posting yesterday I was working and then I had to go grocery shopping and by the time I remembered that I hadn't posted it was like 10 oclock!! This is /the chapter/ so like sorry if it disappoints xD this is also the last official chapter that is completed and written so I'm warning in advance that if there isn't a new chapter next week that's why. Also my girlfriend is coming up for that whole week to visit me sooo. BUT DO WE WANNA TALK ABOUT S6 BECAUSE HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT WAS THAT NOISE??? I watched the whole thing and then my gf and I talked about for literally an hour cuz we were so Shook.TM  
> -Enjoy!

     “Oh my God put some pants on you’re going to flash everyone!” Lance simply smiled at him.

     “Maybe I want to flash everyone~” 

     “Lance I swear-” Keith was cut off as Roseln quickly flew back into the room carrying a large wooden box, covered in ornate carvings. It looked old, but not worn; polished and well kept. Lance’s eyes widened as he looked towards the box, a small amount of fear hidden within the deep waves of his eyes. He started shaking his head and backing away as she stepped closer.

     “Your Lion graciously gifted this to us to prepare for you. We have cleaned it as best we could. I think it wise that you wear it regardless of how short your absence was.” Keith watched with curiosity as Lance’s gaze flickered between the box and him. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath before he looked to the window at the rising light.

     “I thought I was ready, but now that everything's coming together- I-” He paused before turning back to look at Roseln and Macean. “Yeah, okay, put ‘er on.” Together they walked into the bathroom and Keith was left in the room alone. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and tried to seem nonchalant, while inside he was perturbed by the mystery box. It clearly contained something that was to be worn, but Lance was already decked to the nines in jewelry. Maybe a cloak or something; he was still mostly naked. He was still contemplating the different options when a small ruffle made him turn. His arms dropped in awe. A glittering diadem sat on his head, the loops of silver studded with opal and sapphire. The ends wrapped around his ears and the sides of head with a small chain connecting the end pieces and continuing down his back. A smaller circlet rested underneath with simple silver braided to a point, with small opal droplets hanging down to brush his eyebrows. Lance did a small twirl and Keith kept his eyes pointedly upward, but didn’t look away. Their eyes met and Lance gave a small smile. The Iria-Sora flew quietly out of the room, leaving them truly alone for the first time since they were awoken. It was silent until Lance made a move towards a archway resting on the back wall that Keith hadn’t noticed before.

     “Follow me?” Keith simply nodded and trailed behind the blue paladin, up the staircase that was just out of view. Steadily, the small chamber filled with light the higher they climbed until Keith practically had to squint. They emerged out onto the roof of the castle rock. The star was rising and its light reflected brightly on the white exterior. His eyes moved to the other whose back was still turned to him. With all of his ornaments, he stood sparkling. He looked like a God. When he turned, Lance held his hand out and laced their fingers together. They didn’t speak as Lance pulled Keith out further on to the mountainous range. The ground was oddly soft against his bare feet as they continued until they rested at the edge. Below, the miles of endless ocean stretched out before them, still and unmoving. 

     Lance sat with his feet dangling over the rocky drop-off and pulled Keith down with him. Once upon a time, Keith might have been afraid to be so close to an edge like this, but that fear had been shaken out of him by all the other dangerous situations of his daily life. For a while they just watched the reflection of the sun in the film of the water before Lance spoke again. 

     “I’m tired.” Keith turned to look at him, but Lance’s gaze was still locked on the waters beyond. He didn’t get a chance to respond before he was speaking again, “I’m tired of keeping everything about me to myself. You would think that I wouldn’t care as much as I do because I’ve known all of you for such a short time, but somehow-” He stopped and started again. “When you told me that we were coming here I knew. I knew that by the end of this I couldn’t lie about it anymore. But, strangely enough, I don’t  _ want _ to lie to you anymore.” He fell silent. Keith knew that this was the moment that he had been waiting for. What Lauren had told him to be patient for.  

     “What do you-” He didn’t get to finish his question before Lance  jumped up suddenly and a large malicious grin grew on his face. Keith only had a second to tilt his head in question before Lance shoved him, sending him toppling over the edge of the cliff. In his defense Keith only flailed and screamed a little bit before he was crashing into the water. It didn’t hurt as bad has he thought it was going to and figured it probably had something to do with the film resting on top. The water itself was really fluid and his garments didn’t restrict movement too much. He was starting to understand why they weren’t wearing much. His eyes were drawn back up to the culprit, who was in the middle of laughing maniacally. 

     “You look like a drowned rat!” Keith flipped him off.

      “Get down here so I can drown you!” 

     “I’d like to see you try!” Before he could form a retort, Lance seemed to shake his head and take a huge breath. He shouted down at him, “Watch me, okay?” Keith almost laughed to himself; like he could ever seem to take his eyes off of him. The sun had finally passed the horizon and its light was almost drawn to Lance, bouncing off of him in effervescent waves. Keith couldn’t see his facial expression well from the water, but he could see that his whole body was tense. He watched as Lance stepped backwards until he was almost out of view before running at a full sprint before jumping off the cliff edge. Keith flinched as Lance leaped upwards and angled his body into a swan dive. His skin seemed to shine more as he fell gracefully towards the water. Keith’s eyes widened as he fell closer. He could see the changes happening within a blink of an eye. In an almost horrific transformation, the skin between his legs began to fuse together and even from the distance he was at, he watched as midnight-blue scales grew out from underneath. Huge fins grew from his spine flaring out, the webbing between almost translucent. The large rose spun tail as wide as Keith was tall, was the last thing he saw before Lance disappeared into the lapping waters. 

     All Keith could do was float in the water and try not to get the salty water in his open mouth. His eyes didn't leave the patch of water where he last saw his boyfriend (?) Turn into a fucking merman- Just when Keith thought he was beginning to figure things out; now he was confused all over again. Slowly, Lance’s head broke the surface, his crown almost blinding as it peaked above the surface. The metal was now wrapped around the fins that had emerged from the space between his cheekbones and jaw. Like the large fin on his back, they were a dark blue translucence. Lance’s eyes were trained on him, his pupils now slitted and predatorial. His skin glittered more than it had ever had before and Keith could see as he slowly began to swim closer, his nose still hidden beneath the water, that it was because there were minuscule scales embedded in his skin. He swam until he was only a few feet from Keith's still body. Keith felt his foot brush something scaly and he resisted jerking back at the feeling. Slowly he reached his hand out and ran his fingers carefully over the juncture between the scales and fin resting on his face. 

     Lance’s eyes slid close and rose higher in the water, the ends of his tail whisping the bottoms of Keith's bare feet. He could see the flaps of skin on his neck fluttering closed, his gills flushing the oxygen out. His hand gently rested on top of Keith's and Keith could see that his nails had darkened and sharpened to a point. Another set of fins had sprouted from his forearms, but his eyes were drawn back to Lance's. He gave a weak smile and Keith was suddenly hit with another wave of unfiltered and raw beauty. He understood now what Lance had once said about looking more in his element when he shifted. It hadn't been an insult, but a complement from one shape shifting alien to another. 

     “Holy shit.” Was the first thing out of his mouth. Lance seemed to light up and Keith could feel his mouth twitching upwards. “What the actual fuck Lance-” Keith broke off to laugh. “Even when I thought I had figured it out…” Lance’s face turned questioning.

     “You knew?” He eyed him with caution.

     “More like suspected. Pidge helped me figure out what language you were speaking back on Dolra and I convinced Allura to let us come here. But, uh, I still have no idea what's going on to be honest.” Lance got a pissed look on his face, more frightening than usual as his slitted eyes narrowed at him. Keith knew he was about to get his ass chewed out.

     “You went sneaking behind my back to try and figure out my biggest secret? The fuck is wrong with you?” The guilt was eating him alive, but Keith didn't back down. Not when he was this close. He frowned back.

     “Would you have told me otherwise?” Lance’s silence was enough of an answer. “Listen I know that it was shitty of me, but I wanted you to feel like you didn't have hide things from the team. From me. You shouldn't have to deal with everything all alone; trust me I know.” Lance's face softened before a worried look took over, his pupils widening. 

     “You're not going to tell the others right?” Keith gave him a smirk and bumped his fist against his chest. 

     “All shifting capabilities stay between us.” Lance smiled at that, wide and all teeth. Lance suddenly grabbed his hand and tugged him closer to the surface of the water.

     “Come on you can ask questions later! We have to go see the Queen!” Keith flailed.

     “Wait! You idiot I can't breathe underwater!” Lance just laughed before he released his hand and ducked under the water once more. Because of the film on top of the water, Keith couldn't see where Lance had gone, but he got his answer soon enough. Suddenly claws wrapped around his leg and he was yanked down hard and fast. He only screamed a little. 

     It was a lot darker underneath the water, but as he squinted suddenly a bright spin of blue lights lit up. There in front of him was Lance, intricate and delicate lines of bio-luminescence swirled to cover his whole body. It leaked from the lines of his tail up and across his chest and over onto his arms. His eyes shimmered brightly and the stones if his many pieces of jewelry glinted around him like stars. He swam up fast and cupped his hands around his mouth and blew a large air bubble that snapped over Keith's head. Suddenly he could breathe and he watched fascinated as bubbles of CO2 floated out and bubbles if O2 floated in; and endless supply of air. 

     Lance began to hum and Keith's head rattled. It was almost like it was amplified within his bubble. It stopped abruptly before Lance looked at him with curious eyes.

     “ _ Testing- hey Keith can you hear me? I think I got the right frequency…” _

     “What the fuck?!” Keith sputtered out loud. 

     “ _ Hey buddy, calm down I can hear your voice and your thoughts please stop screaming it’s hella loud-” _

_      “ _ _How the hell are you reading my mind?!”_ Keith was trying hard not to flinch at Lance’s voice in his head. It wasn't the first intrusion, but it was expected from giant robot lions; not your apparently very not human partner. 

     “ _ All Boia-Sora can communicate using a link of electrons in the water and the neuron connections in our brains. Course we can also just talk out loud, but you don’t speak Boia so I thought this would be better.” _

     As fascinating as the idea of telepathy was, Lance had spoken as if he was one of the Boia-Sora. I mean he had a goddamn tail so it was fairly obvious that some part of him was inhuman- Soran- but then became the onslaught of questions. How, Why, What- so many filtered through his mind that Keith was rendered speechless. Lance it seemed couldn’t necessarily read his thoughts, but more so his inner dialog before he spoke. Thank God. Lance looked at him questionably before shrugging and turning around, flattening his fin against his back.

_      “Come on, grab on to my shoulders and I’ll swim us real quick to the castle!”   _ Keith shuttered. 

_      “Lance I swear to God if you launch me though the water so fast that my face starts to come off I’m going to kill you.” _ Lance laughed in earnest, his shoulders shaking as Keith carefully grabbed a hold. He was trying his damnedest not to accidentally touch his fin. Lance on two legs? No problem. Keith knew all of his mannerisms and the like. Lance with a big ass tail and with this much fluidity in water- Keith was probably as good as dead. He didn’t even remotely know the customs of the Boia-Sora. He felt like a fish out of water… oh. No wonder Lance had sucked so bad at hand to hand combat. 

_      “Hold on tighter or I’m gunna shoot off without you nerd. And for the record, I can swim fast enough to lose a few scales, but not enough to melt your face off.” _

_      “Duly noted.” _ Keith gripped his shoulders tighter, like how he would hold his knife or Red’s controls. Without any warning whatsoever, they did indeed shoot off. Keith didn’t have the stomach to look behind him, but he could tell that the huge fin was beating powerfully at such a speed that Keith wasn’t surprised that Lance could lose a scale or two. He knew that he now had a death grip on his shoulders, but holy shit they were going so fucking fast. He wasn’t sure if they went past anything because the rest of the ocean was a blur. It dawned on him that they were going to an undersea castle hidden somewhere amiss the hundreds of thousands of miles of ocean on the large planet. Pleasantries and political correctness be damned. He shut his eyes and pulled himself in, making his body flush against Lance’s. He would have wrapped his legs around him too if Lance’s tail wasn’t rolling violently to propel them forward. 

_      “Thanks!” _ was all Keith got before they started going even faster. He was glad they had skipped breakfast because otherwise he might have thrown up in his little air bubble. He was honestly unsure how long they had been swimming but gradually Keith could feel Lance start to slow down. He let himself open his eyes and was disappointed to see a whole lot of nothing. This part of the ocean looked just like the part that they had started from. He groaned internally.

_      “Lance if you got us lost-” _ But Lance cut him off, putting a fingers to his lips. Keith looked around again before, suddenly, Lace wasn’t glowing anymore. Neither moved, Keith even going as far as to hold his breath. It felt like eons that they sat there idle. He was going to ask again if they were just lost when Lance flared up hitting Keith with his back fin. He burst with light, brighter than before and hissed, somehow managing to grab Keith’s knife and held what he assumed was a defensive stance. Seemingly out of nowhere, two Boia-Sora had appeared holding large spears, completely armored. How Lance had known that they had been there he didn’t know, but he knew that these had to be guards.They’re markings of luminescence were different patterns and much less bright. Keith couldn’t see their faces, but he could tell they had paused. 

     " _ My apologies My Prince! We were not expecting you! Is something the matter? Why have you come back so soon?”  _ Keith almost reeled in shock. When Claire and Lance had spoken the quiet Boia-Sora language it had been garbled, raspy, and almost wet sounding. But now Keith realized that it had sounded like that because they had been above the water. Beneath the waves, however, it was beautiful. Like a melody almost. Even if he couldn’t tell what they were saying, they obviously recognized Lance. Lance laughed and dimmed, his fins flattening back down. 

     “ _ Nothing’s the matter- well with me anyways. I need to speak to my Mother as quickly as possible however; I cannot stay long.”  _ The guards nodded and turned and Keith watched mystified as they suddenly disappeared. Lance turned and slipped Keith’s knife back into its sheath and motioned for him to let go. Keith slowly released his hands from his shoulders, gently floating away. Lance turned before swimming around Keith excessively. He grabbed Keith’s hand and started pulling him towards whatever invisible line existed. 

     “ _ Just like the way that we communicate through the frequency channels of electrons, we have also created technology that mimics certain frequencies and are able to block the transmits of what you see, effectively making the entire Boia-Sora people invisible to people outside of the barrier. It’s super cool!” _ Keith was impressed that they had done something so technologically advanced for a planet who’s above water race was very not so. He didn’t know what to expect when they crossed the barrier, but he was totally unprepared. 

     It was stunning. Everything was made of the glass-like material, with much larger flecks of reflective opal inside. Long cylindrical towers overlapped each other all connected through different rectangular passageways. Boia-Sora swam in and around of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. None of them were decorated quite as highly as Lance though- simply armlets and bracelets. Keith averted his eyes from the females, who’s chests were exposed. He figured that when you live underwater, the less articles of clothing the better, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try and be respectful. 

     They began to stop and stare, bowing their heads respectfully at Lance. He turned his head in question at the other, but he kept his gaze forward and said nothing. When Keith turned his eyes back to the Boia-Sora, they were all turning to talk to each other in hushed tones. They looked just as confused as Keith felt. At least one thing had been solved; Lance had definitely been here before. When, Keith still didn’t know, but apparently he was going to get all of his questions answered later. Lance swam steadfast through the different crystallized buildings and didn’t spare them a second glance. Keith figured that he’d get the chance to site-see later. 

     Before long, they were stopped in front of what had to be the most beautiful castle Keith had ever seen among all of his otherworldly travels. It was probably three times the size of the Iria-Sora castle and it was completely see-through, while certain areas shown reflective like mirrors. There were no doors, like the white castle from above the water, though the Boia-Sora didn’t seem to need them either. More guards were stationed outside what appeared to be the main entrance of the castle. They nodded at Lance as he swam past, yanking Keith’s arm for him to follow. Long chains of silver and glittering stones hung from the tall vaulted ceiling. The floor was tiled with dark sapphire colored rock that seemed to make the walls almost too bright to look at. The castle itself was all connected around the circular entryway, hallways to towers and rooms spanning out in all directions around the edge. At the center of it all was a medium sized hole that one or two Boia-Sora could comfortably swim within. As they passed Keith dared to look down and was shocked to see a bottomless dark. Its purpose was unknown.  

     He didn’t have long to grasp just how stunning everything was or to wonder what was hidden behind the the walls of the reflective rooms. They kept going, Keith kicking his legs harder to keep up. It was almost like Lance didn’t want him to spend too much time looking around. Despite it all he was still hiding parts of himself; of his life outside of Voltron and Earth. They swam up and into one of the glass hallways off to the right. It was weird to be inside the glass barrier, but to still be surrounded by water. He could see the various Boia-Sora swimming from beyond, whether it be for errands or just to converse with each other in their beautiful whistling language. 

     At the other side of the bridge way was a small waiting room of sorts. Guards were stationed outside of a small arch. There were more medium sized holes on the ceiling and the floor of the room, presumably to other rooms, but Keith didn’t get to investigate before they were being stopped in front of the guards. Lance rolled his shoulders back and looked them in the eye and they hurriedly moved out of the way for them. His back fin flattened against his back as they swam into a grand ballroom, where the Queen of the Boia-Sora sat. She was impossibly beautiful, her dark skin illuminated by the same basin filled with the maroon flames that sat idly on either side of her towering throne of silver and glass. Her tail was a dark magenta with flecks of gold hidden among her scales. Her fins were similar to Lance’s, but faded into a rich purple. She wore the same style of jewelry as well, her circlet adorned to a rather impressive silver crown filled with shells and opals. Her pleasantly rose colored eyes locked onto Lance’s and he smiled, her eyebrow raised in question. 

     “ _ Hey mom.”  _


	17. Chapter 17: Shes your...? Youre a...? *0* !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0w0!! Sorry guys I was right- I didn't have time to post while I was having the best fucking vacation of my life with my girlfriend! it was rad as fuck okay we went toys r us hopping and to an amusement park and an aquarium and hiking in the mountains and to top it off we saw Dan and Phil live!!!! I miss her already (-^-,) but anyways here's your week due chapter! it kinda sucks but Keith finally can stop being a dumbass so small mercies xD I guess I should warn you that there's some makin out at the end so if that's not your tea you can skip (its not vital or anything) the next chapter will be very interesting.... ':3333  
> -Enjoy!

     Her lips rose to a pleasant smile before she rushed from the throne and threw her arms around Lance. Keith didn’t speak Boia-Sora, but he was pretty sure that Lance couldn’t have gotten all of what had happened in such a short sentence. So that begged the question as to what he had said. Before he could ask the Queen was speaking rapidly with surprise and excitement.

     “ _Layance! What in the universe are you doing back here? And my Gods, what happened to your hair!”_ Her eyes moved to Keith quickly. “ _Who is this? Oh look at his little face! So young!”_ She swam in circles around him before moving back to Lance. “ _But all of that later! Why have you come back so soon? It’s only been a little more than a sinc! Has something happened?”_ Her voice was almost hypnotic, the chorus of bells ringing through the water. Keith tried to ask Lance what she was saying, but he got shushed rather quickly. He glared at him angrily.

     “ _One question at a time please; remember, we talked about this. I have a lot to tell you- but for now let me introduce my partner, Keith Kogane.”_ If the queens voice was hypnotic, then Lance’s was a siren’s song. Keith almost forgot to bow at the mention of his name. He tried hard to imitate the intricate bow from above, but it was more difficult underwater for sure. She laughed in earnest, her eyes sparkling.

     “ _Partner?”_ Lance’s eyes widened and he swam to hide himself behind Keith, who could only cross his arms and roll his eyes. No matter his genealogy, Lance was always going to be Lance.

     “ _Not like that! Well- I mean- Kinda- But we were partners first when we became Paladins-”_ That made Queen Cryniss pause, concern overtaking her face.

      “ _Paladins? Paladins of what exactly? Last I recall, I sent you away so that you could avoid danger.”_ Lance shrunk further behind Keith, his tail wrapping itself around his legs. If Keith could elbow him he would have. Lance let out a squeak.

      “ _Voltron?”_

_“VOLTRON! LAYANCE I SWEAR TO THE GODS-”_

_“Mom please! I didn’t do it on purpose! Blue chose me! I-”_

_“Don’t you Mom me! That is the most dangerous- You could have died!”_

_“But I didn’t-”_

_“But you could have!”_

     Lance had untangled himself and had swam closer to the queen, but her words made him shut up faster than Keith had ever seen him before. Judging on the shouting match that had just happened, it hadn’t been good. Keith looked between the two of them worriedly before he swam to get in between them as fast as he could. He glared at Lance before turning quickly to plead with the queen.

     “ _Please, Your Majesty, Lance didn’t mean any harm. We just came to tell you that we destroyed the Galra base on your planet and to ask if you would be interested in joining the Voltron Alliance. Whatever Lance said please don’t take offence to it- he’s not the brightest.”_ He didn’t know if he projected his thoughts loud enough for her to hear or if it was the right frequency or whatever else went into the telepathy magic, but he tried his best. Lance sure heard him and immediately face palmed. Queen Cryniss’s eyes widened and she looked back and forth between them before pointing at Lance.

     “ _We’ll continue this in a second.”_ She then turned to Keith with a smile. “  _Keith, sweetheart, that’s wonderful news! Of course the Boia-Sora would like to join the Alliance, and I will personally kick Gorfol’s ass so that he agrees to join. I would love to hear all about you, but I need to have a word with my son so please forgive me for a moment-”_ Her smile disappeared as she grabbed Lance violently by the arm and dragged him away from Keith and began to speak in what appeared to be angry hushed tones. Keith could only float there questionably before his brain caught up. Son? Son?! What the fuck did that mean-

     His thoughts came to a sudden halt. Queen Cryniss of the Boia-Sora just implied that Lance was her son. Lance. Who was at this point to confirmed to be of some sort of genealogical connection to Sora. Who was adopted and real parents lived in the stars. Who spoke Soran. Who was a fucking merman and was currently getting his ass chewed out _by his mother- His mother, who was apparently the fucking queen of the Boia-Sora._ Keith’s brain had officially short circuited. How in the holy hell- What are the fucking odds.

     He was so wrapped up in his own revelations that he didn’t notice how silent the water had become until Lance’s face was suddenly in front of him. His eyebrows were scrunched together in concern as Keith just stared at him.

_“ Keith? Are you okay?” _

_“ That’s your mom.” _Lance’s eyes widened in horror. He silence from him was answer enough. His pupils gradually got slimmer as he raised his hands and backed off slightly. Keith could only let out a small hiss of understanding. “Holy shit.” Lance seemed to flinch at hearing the words out loud. He turned to look at the Queen, who floated off to the side, her head cocked in question. A very familiar gesture Keith realized. Even though the water he could feel Lance beginning to panic and Keith seemed to return to the present. He hadn’t said anything. Shit.

_“ Keith, I swear I was going to tell you I just didn’t know how to and then we were here and then-” _

_“ Lance.”  _He shut up quickly, Keith’s mind quieting. He took a moment to revel in the silence before he took a deep breath. “Lance. It’s okay.” He visibly sagged and hung his head. Keith only hesitated a moment before he slowly swam over and wrapped his arms around him.

_“I ’m sorry-” _

_“ You have nothing to be sorry for, okay? I can’t imagine how hard this whole trip has been and I want you to know that you’re not obligated to tell me anything; but I will be here to listen. You don’t have to keep everything a secret anymore.”  _Lance’s arms tightened around him and Keith closed his eyes to let out a large breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

_“ I’m so glad we’re underwater right now- no one can tell that you’re crying if you’re underwater.” _Keith let out a small breath of laughter and let go, pulling back far enough to place his hand on Lance’s face and rub his thumb over his cheek bone.

      He lowered his voice to a whisper so that only Lance could hear him. “How do I kiss you with this bubble on my head?” Lance just smiled and stuck his head into Keith’s small bubble of air.

     “Like this.” Keith could only smile back before Lance crashed their lips together, his arms wrapping around his shoulders as Keith placed them on the junction of Lance’s hips where skin became scales. Lance pulled back and pushed Keith slightly, a teasing grin on his face. “Easy there tiger, my mom’s over there.” Keith’s cheeks heated as he looked over to find Queen Cryniss with a look of pleased annoyance on her face.

     “ _How am I supposed to be mad at you when you two are over there being so sweet and earnest?”_ She sagged a little and looked tiredly at her son. It was a look that Keith saw often directed at Lance by various individuals including himself.  _“Come on then, let’s have morning meal and you can tell me everything. I swear I send you off for at least 20 sincs and you come back in less than 2 as a Paladin with your Helio-”_ She swam past them and out of the ballroom, grinning all the same. As they turned to follow, Keith had to hum in question.

_“ What did she mean she sent you off for 20 years?”  _Lance stopped swimming suddenly and turned to look at him with complete bewilderment on his face.

_“ Okay, there’s a lot to unpack with that question there buckaroo, but 20 years?” _ He laughed and wrapped his arm around Keith’s shoulders. _ “A sinc is like roughly 12 earth years buddy.” _Keith’s eyebrows came together in confusion as they continued forward. But Roseln had said… His eyes widened in shock as he did the math.

_“ But that would mean you’re over 200 years old!”  _Lance laughed.

_“ 216 to be exact!” _

_“ Holy fuck you’re old.” _Lance gasped dramatically, his hand over his heart.

_“ Hey! I’ll have you know that I am fairly young for a Boia-Soran!”  _Keith gave him a rather audacious look.

_“ That’s over 10 times my age you buffoon!” _

_“ I know that! I might not be great at math, but I’m not that incompetent-” _

_“ Do you know what that means?”  _ Lance shook his head, his eyebrow raised in question. _“It means you’re the oldest member of Voltron- older than Allura and Shiro even-”_

_“ Technically Allura’s older than me still-” _

_“ And you’re royalty!” _

_“ What does that have to do with anything?” _Keith sputtered and looked Lance dead in the eye.

_“ That has to do with everything! Why do you let everyone push you around? Technically, you have authority over all of us-” _Lance winced and let go of Keith’s shoulders to intertwine their fingers together.

_“ Just because I have years on all of you doesn’t make me any wiser. You heard King Gorfal; I’m still young and naive. My status doesn’t mean that I can just assume control and do whatever I want. Ever heard the wise words of Uncle Ben?”  _ Keith shook his head in confusion, but Lance powered on. “  _ Just because I have power, doesn’t mean I don’t have a responsibility to listen to my friends and learn how to work together as a team. I might be a Prince, but I’m certainly not ready for the throne by any means.” _

     Keith didn’t have a response for that really. It was so mature of him to make that sort of decision, and felt almost out of character of him to say. Though, now Keith had to wager if he knew Lance that well at all. New questions were bubbling up at an alarming rate. What did he like to do for fun? Did he prefer land or sea? What were his friends here like? How did he end up on earth? What was is like? One thing had led to another and somehow Lance ended up a paladin of Voltron and back on his home planet with Keith. The universe had a funny sense of irony didn’t it.

     They followed the queen out and down through a different glass walkway and into what Keith assumed was the dining room. It wasn’t tremendously large and simply held a small rounded table in the middle. Other Boia-Soras lined the walls, some in armor and others in loose flowy fabrics similar to Keith’s with small armlets glinting. Keith only now realized how the room was lit; the walls lined with the same glowing lights that were inside of Lance’s pool, small basins of fire at the entrances. More fire hung in a chandelier over the table, the crystal droplets hanging from it reflecting red in the light. It was an odd sight to see fire underwater and he made a mental note to ask about it later. There was a round bench that circled all the way around the table to serve as seating. Queen Cryniss was already seated and helping herself to the array of interesting culinary dishes that were laid out. Lance pulled Keith over and sat him down, filling his own plate and pointing out the different things that Keith “had to try!” They ate in comfortable silence for a while before another thing struck him.

     “ _Wait, so when everyone kept calling you Layance-”_ Lance laughed and shoved more food in his mouth.

_“ Yep! That’s my real name! Mary suggested I change it to Lance when I was on Earth so that I fit in better. They sound pretty much the same anyways.”  _Keith nodded and gnawed slowly on a piece of something that tasted a bit like cheese.

     “ _Do you want me to call you that or…?” _  Lance paused before waving his hand absentmindedly.

     “ _Doesn’t really matter I guess. Maybe not around the others for now, but in the comfort of our rooms it’s up to you.”_ Before Keith had a chance to ask anything else, the Queen jumped in, obviously still very confused.

     “ _I’m sorry, but what others? You still haven’t told me anything young man.” _ Lance winced and rubbed the back of his neck, his fins flattening nervously. She just crossed her arms and waited expectantly. Lance just sighed and picked up a flaky piece of food to mess with.

     “ _Okay, okay. So. um. Well obviously I didn’t really know how to fly that ship at all so it auto-navigated to this planet on the other side of the galaxy called Earth- which was really lucky by the way because our land-forms look literally the same like what are the odds- but I sorta crash landed and broke the ship?” _ Cryniss’s mouth dropped open and threw her hands up in exasperation.Keith had to smother a laugh. That was such a Lance thing to do.

     “ _SO ANYWAY- I crash landed in one of Earth’s oceans, the North Atlantic to be specific, and I started swimming towards the nearest land mass. The dolphins were a huge help! I ended up on this island called Cuba, met this really nice family and they helped me learn Spanish and English and so I basically spent about a sinc and a half learning about their planet before I enrolled in the Galaxy Garrison- which is where they learn how to get to space, yanno so I could get a ship to come back here eventually.”_ The queen was nodding along to Lance’s story, waiting for him to continue. Keith was surprised about how much was starting to come together; even with Lance’s hugely vague explanations. He figured he would just hound him for the details later.

     “ _And I met Keith there, along with my other fellow paladins, Pidge, Hunk and Shiro. But like Shiro was actually kidnapped by the Galra and then he crash landed back on Earth and so we all went to rescue him and then Keith, who got kicked out, was like, ‘Hey so there’s this weird energy thing-’ and Shiro was like, ‘Voltron?’ and Hunk was like, “hey those look like coordinates!’ and so one thing led to another and we found the Blue lion and She chose me-” _ At this point in the story Keith started to tune out Lance’s explanation and chose to watch his mom instead. She wasn’t as angry as she was before, understanding starting to dawn in her eyes at her son’s expeditions and what he was doing to help the universe. Every now and again her eyes would flicker over to him and he would nervously look back at her. He hoped that she liked him.

     Lance finished off nicely and quickly looked down and started stuffing his face with food again, clearly hoping to be finished with that conversation, but Cryniss simply shifted her attention to Keith.

     “ _So tell me about yourself then, Keith.” _ He swallowed hard and tried to come up with something of worth to say about himself. Fuck.

     “ _Uh, well like Lance said, I’m the paladin of the Red lion and we met a couple of years ago at the Garrison.”_ She nodded and smiled pleasantly for him to continue. “ _Um, I like knives?”_ Lance snorted and started choking on whatever he had in his mouth. He hit his chest a few times before letting out some gasps of laughter.

     “ _Jesus Keith- mom he’s brilliant. Like top of the class smart. And Shiro is his adopted older brother. Hes eighteen years old- which is like my age for Earth years- he’s kind of lactose intolerant but it’s not like bad or anything-  oh! He lives in a shack in like the middle of the desert cuz’ he got kicked out of the Garrison for trying to steal a spaceship! His dad was a firefighter and his mom was actually a member of the blade of Mamora- yeah! He’s half Galran! Oh you should see him when he shifts it’s literally the cutest thing ever! He’s like super good at hand to hand combat- no really he kicks my butt in training! Oh and he’s like really good at art like its amazing- and he collects little trinkets of things that remind him of stuff, like he still has the flower I gave him when we first met! He tries to look all big and tough and mean all the time, but he’s really just a big gushy sweetheart-” _

     Keith’s mouth was wide open. Talk about gushing. Keith was amazed that Lance cared enough about him to remember all this random and trivial things about him. He never thought that he was a very interesting person at all, but when Lance talked about him, it was like he hung the moon in the sky every night. His eyes moved from Lance to Cryniss, who had begun to have the same knowing face that Shiro often had. Well shit. Her eyes locked onto his and her smile grew larger.

     “ _So how long have you two been together?”_ Lance cocked his head in confusion as Keith rushed in to answer before he could.

     “ _Not long at all, your majesty. A couple weeks at most.”_ She laughed and said almost more to herself,

_“ Seems like a lot longer than that.” _

 

     They didn’t talk much after that and soon Lance was dragging him along, away from his mother and down through a series of passageways that Keith would never remember how to get back through. The trouble with being underwater was that he had no accurate way to tell what time it was, especially on a planet where the days ran longer. They could have been down here for an hour or five and he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. He simply kicked his legs as they swam along. They went deeper into the castle, deep enough that they left the glass exterior and moved down into to rock and coral of the seafloor. Soon enough they reached a point where the lights ended and the blue underlining patterns of bioluminescence that traced Lance’s skin was lit once more.

     Keith couldn’t look away from the delicate and intricate lines that were similar to Allura’s, but instead of having the appearance of being raised just slightly above, Lance’s makings looked as if they came from beneath, like a second set of veins. They were fascinating to look at and before he could stop himself, Keith ran his fingers over the curves on Lance’s forearms, tracing their pattern down to his wrist. Lance looked over his shoulder at him and smiled and Keith could only smile back in wonderment.

     They kept swimming forward until they reached a part of water that was lighter and began to swim upwards until suddenly they were breaching the surface and Keith’s air bubble popped. He gazed around at the small underwater cave that Lance had brought them too. A thin line of blue light started from below the water and spiraled up around the cave walls in a circular pattern, inclining slightly until it stopped in the center of the ceiling, the light looking down on them like a fat sun. Off to the side was a ledge that Lance pulled them towards before plunging underneath and hoisting Keith up and onto it. His hands hit the rough rock hard and he felt like his body weighed twice or even three times as much as it usually did. He sagged as Lance launched himself up as well, his tail dangling off the edge and into the water. They didn’t say anything for awhile, Keith listening to the water drain from Lance’s gills and the drips of condensation off the stalactites growing from the ceiling.

     “So on a scale of one to holy fuck, how freaked out are you right now.” It was weird to hear his voice out loud again as it reverberated off of the walls. It seemed almost husky and rural now after hearing its musical chime from under the water. The light bounced off of his crown and reflected small rainbows.

     “I would say I’m at a solid wowie.” Lance laughed and turned to look at Keith. His pupils were wide and curious, a worried smile on his face.

     “That’s good right?” Keith had to roll his eyes before he took Lance’s hand and laced their fingers together.

     “Yes.” Lance let out a kee of delight and let go so he could tackle Keith into a bone crushing hug. Keith just had to laugh. Yes everything was fine. In fact, everything was perfect. He hadn’t seen Lance this happy in the entire two years that he had known him. And, as it turns out, if Lance is happy, then he was happy. “Lance, I promise you that nothing that you can ever tell me about yourself will change how I feel about you. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met- and that’s saying something, Shiro is my brother.” Lance let out a wet laugh and pulled back just far enough to grab onto Keith’s face and crash their mouths together. Keith simply closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. His hands found the juncture of Lance’s hips again and rubbed slow circles on the skin there, brushing over the small scales. He felt Lance shutter slightly and press harder against him. His fingers laced through the strands of hair hanging from the back of his neck and he tugged on them, his other hand resting on Keith’s chest. Maybe it was sweet starting out, like the few others they had shared, but they were alone now and Lance seemed to know it. As Lance seemed to move to angle his face better against his, Keith gripped hard enough to make a small high-pitch whine slip from his lips. Keith smiled and shifted, Lance moving quickly to tug on his ears making him growl back at him. Lance pulled back and they stared at each other, slightly out of breath.

     “Is this okay?” Lance asked quietly, the scales on his face shining. Keith looked into the deep aquamarine of his eyes and leaned back in.

     “You tell me.” Lance’s smile turned predatory as he recaptured his lips. There was that certain underlying hunger that still lingered from this morning and Keith had no trouble following his lead anymore. His thumbs dipped into the v of his navel where skin shifted to scale and Lance gasped into Keith’s mouth, falling slightly onto him. Their eyes met again and the pure sense of want and pleasure that radiated from them only brought them closer together. They connected again and it became a fight; their rivalry returning with new motive. Lance’s tongue brushed Keith’s bottom lip as he shoved him onto the rocky terrain of the ledge. The ground bit into his shoulders, but Keith couldn’t find it in himself to care. Lance was on top of him as he opened his mouth willingly and felt Lance run his tongue over his sharpened canines. It didn’t take him long to figure out and soon he was fighting back.

     He didn’t know how long they stayed in the cave, but by the end of it his lips were thoroughly bruised, his back was sore, and he was pleasantly dazed. He was thankful that Lance knew where his boundaries were and didn’t try and push past them, instead pulling back when they finally took the time to catch their breath. He simply hummed before latching onto Keith and pulling him back into the water. Before he knew it, his air bubble was snapping back into place as Lance gave him a small peck on the nose.

     “ _Come on, as much as I would love to stick around and make out in this cave, we’ve got to get started on the goodbye process- Gods know it’s going to take like an entire day-”_ Keith let Lance ramble as he simply held on. In the midst of everything he had almost forgotten; they had to return. To the others. To Volton. To the war. He didn’t want to now that everything was a said and done. He wanted to stay here, with Lance and not have to worry about anything else. He wanted to be happy.


	18. Chapter 18: The Divine Clasps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys guess who's dying of overnight shifts ^u^' (It's me. I wanna die) BUT! let me say one, thank you for all of your continued support through this hot mess of a story that I came up with literally 10 months ago- and two, I really hope that you're enjoying it! my little planner says I have completed 2.5/5 pages of check boxes so there's still more to come (though the rest is just like cute domestic shit and ship shenanigans soooooooo) This chapter is a bit of a mix up for you since it is in Lance's point of view!! I realized that it just had to be done and it was really interesting and weird to write it from his perspective, especially since I've been writing it in Keith's for literally 100 pages xDDD  
> -Enjoy! ;)

Layance's P.O.V.

 

     Holy Shit. Kissing Keith was like fucking riding a Belquoineze zepper through the forests of Hoeyn. Layance couldn’t even begin to wonder what he had done in his lifetime to warrant the Gods to bless him with Keith. Keith, who was the strongest creature he had ever met, but was still kind and sweet and actually really liked Layance. There was a part of him that knew that he should have been more mad about how he had snuck behind his back, but honestly he didn’t blame him. But out of anyone in the team to find out first, he was glad it had been him.

     Said adorable half Galran was wrapped around his front with his legs wrapped around his waist. His face was mushed up against his chest and the little tufts of fur around his ears waved around in the current as Layance made the dark journey back to the castle. Gods he wished they could stay longer, he loved his home planet just as much as the other paladins loved Earth, but their job here was done and if they didn’t get going Allura would have a conniption.

     As the water got lighter, Keith pulled back to look around more at the insides of the castle. Layance was sad that he wouldn’t get to give Keith a proper tour this time, especially after seeing the way that Keith’s sun purple eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement. His dark hair swayed violently from his ponytail as he looked from one wall to another and it made Layance miss those sincs ago when his hair was still long and flowed the same. His mother about had a fit when she saw that it had been sheared off. He still remembers when Mary told him that he would fit in better if they cut it- that argument had gone on for weeks and ended with a shouting match between him and Margret and many colorful words in many languages.

     Layance just couldn’t get over just how stunning Keith was to be honest though. He looked perfect in the internal castle guard wear, the lavender color of the fabric that Roseln had chosen matching the color of his eyes. Even if he was completely out of his element he still looked like he could take on the world. When Keith turned again though, Layance’s smile turned downwards at the sight of the dark bruised finger prints on his neck, still a visible magenta against the light purple of his skin. Layance still hadn’t known what had come over him in that moment. It would seem that he had some questions for his mother.

     They maneuvered their way back to the main ballroom where his mother now rested, her lazy position straightening as she shooed her advisers out. Keith had moved to now rest on his back, still being careful not to crush his back fin, and rested his chin on Layance’s shoulder. If his mother had anything to say about it she didn’t mention it, instead looking between the two of them with a smile. Layance rolled his eyes at her, but turned his head to look at Keith.

     “ _Hey I’ve got to talk to my mom about some stuff and then we can head up to meet with Gorfal and get back to the Castle of Lions. You’re welcome to just chill here or I can get someone to swim you around, if you want? ” _ Keith shook his head and detached himself from Layance, floating to the side and sitting on the ground casually.

     “ _If it’s all the same to you I think I just wait here for now. I don’t particularly feel the need to get lost in your giant glass fortress today.”_ Layance laughed before turning back to the Queen, who watched with interest. He beat his tail enough to get in front of the throne before Cryniss rose and gave him a small hug.

_“With your Soul tied to your side the whole morning I haven’t been able to do that much.”_ Her smile was obvious of her teasing but Layance’s mind got caught.

     “ _That’s the second time you’ve said he was my Soul-”_ She nodded to cut him off, moving to swim towards the entrance.

     “ _Swim with me.”_ Was all she said as Layance moved to catch up with her. As a guard handed her her large fabric covering to slip over her chest and back, he looked at Keith who smiled and waved. He turned to talk to one of the advisers, presumably about the economics of Sora no doubt. Layance moved to swim side by side with her as they made their way through the castle. She didn’t look at him when she spoke next.

     “ _You love him, don’t you?”_ It wasn’t as if he hadn’t expected the question, but it was still jarring to hear it from her. What was almost just as terrifying was the resonance from within himself that preened towards the idea of it. His fins flattened in a new wave of fear as he wrapped his arms around himself.

     “ _Yes.”_ his voice was quiet as if he really couldn’t believe that he could really know anything about love, especially when he was still so young. There was so much of his life that he still had to live and to think that he had already found the one person that he wanted to spend the rest of it with seemed ludicrous. And yet, it felt right to say it out loud. To say it here, in the castle of glass. To say it among his people, his mother, his world. He always felt like the outsider among the other paladins; living a lie to them. But not to Keith. Not any more. To see him ostracized by the others simply because he too wasn’t human- it was like the part of Layance that never wanted to look away from the mysterious and brooding human now had to touch, to be a part of every aspect of his life. His heart latched on and now it refused to let go.

     He was so lost in thought that he almost didn’t notice when they stopped. He looked down and found the dark abyss of the hole that led to the Kaogmon ce Heilo. He turned to his mother but she simply flashed her patterns and dove into the hole. Layance could only yell “Wait!” before flipping his bioluminescence on as well and following in after her. He wasn’t going to lie to himself, it was terrifying; even with the warm reddish glow of his mother leading the way. This wasn’t the first time he had seen her come down here, but it was the first time he had been invited along. It was a sacred place that only the Queen (Or King) of the Boia-Sora was allowed into. The entrance wasn’t guarded because it didn’t need to be. The royal markings were the only ones bright enough to carry you through the pitch passageway down to what could very well be the bottom of the fucking ocean. It was the place little ones would tell stories of in the dim lights of the camping caverns, of the hideous creatures that guarded the Shell and what they did to you if you ever managed to venture this far. His mother never told him these stories, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hear them from the other little ones. Hell, it even reached the Iria-Soras (though theirs were often about the whole ocean, not just the home of the Shell of Soul.)

     Layance tried to keep his breathing under control the deeper they went, but it felt like the walls were getting smaller. Where they once might have been able to swim side by side, they now were forced into single file, Layance no longer able to even stretch his arms out all the way. The rose gold of his mother’s fins blocked most of the passage in front of him and they had slowed to a drooling pace, no longer able to move their fins enough to keep a steady speed. Layance certainly wasn’t claustrophobic but if he was stuck in this passageway for much longer he figured he’d develop it. His mother refused to speak and he was too afraid to ask why they were coming down here. Why now of all times? Had something happened to the Shell? Boia-Sorans finding their Souls was rare. For many it was suspected that they would never receive a pair of Divine Clasps, because their Soul was trillions of light-years away somewhere else in the universe. Layance knew of the many troubled individuals that came to Sora on the tail-ends of rumors that perhaps their Soulmate lived beneath the water, or pairs that came to seek the knowledge that they had found their Soulmate, only for Layance to come to them and say that the Kaogmon had not opened for them.

     Perhaps that what this journey was. A chance to show Layance was it like to see and procure the Devion Velckei from the Shell and award it to the lucky Boias. A chance to do it together, a luxury not many of the royal successors had had the chance to have. It didn’t stop his nerves from twinging with fear and anticipation however. He startled when his mother’s voice filled his head.

     “ _Do you know how I know when the Shell is getting ready to open? ” _Frightful of the silence Layance answered.

     “ _It tells you right? ” _

_“ Correct. It sends me signals; messages through the water and to my mind. It’s a fearful thing, to be awoken in the night by its haunting voice. It is a sacred thing, but it is not holy. It whispers, ‘Come. Come to me. I must open. Hurry. Come. Come.’ It repeats for days, weeks but you mussant come until you hear its call speak, ‘Now.’ or you will be devoured by thoughts of madness and lose your essence to the creatures that guard it.” _

     Layance shuddered. The real threat of the Kaogmon was much worse that the tales the little ones would tell. His mind filled with horrible images of his corpse rotting away, his eyes alight with crazy delight. His mother’s words filled his head once more.

     “ _It is how we lost the forgotten King Mazon; Queen Estry’s first born.”_ When Layance didn’t answer she continued. “ _It has been whispering to me for weeks now. It’s wretched voice never ceases. Waves and waves of vial and sickening taunts have filled my thoughts for so long I was afraid it would never stop. Until you came home.”_ Layance’s body locked up, bile rose in his throat. This monstrous thing, this Shell of disaster and ruin that produced one of the most holy and unattainable objects in the entire universe, spoke to his mother _about him._ He was no fool. The beating of his heart told him so those years ago; when his eyes found Keith’s and it was like nothing moved, nothing breathed around them as he gave that single flower to him. The Shell had created the Clasps for _them._ His body shook with fantastical horror and excitement. No matter its terrible creation, Keith and him were Soulmates; past this cave of evil intent, stood the proof that they were meant for each other and no one else. Rivals, friends, Souls.

     “ _It said when you two stood before me, ‘Now.’ and the wave of joy that swept through me was like no other. As I watched you two come together, with such happiness I could have wept. Because I knew. I knew that the Divine Clasps would keep you both safe, even in the heat of fighting this war against Zarkon. I knew that with them I would be able to let you leave again, because I knew it would mean you would return. ” _Layance couldn’t see her face, but he could feel her smile through the words that still rang in his head.

     She began to push forward, harder than before until they broke through to a huge round underwater cavern. Stalactites hung from the edges of the ceiling like teeth and it was just as dark as the rest of the tunnel, save for a single beam of light that shot through the center of the cave. It was pure and unfiltered, the passageway for the light cut straight through millions miles of rock to the surface of the planet. Beneath it, on a pointed and raised piece of opal lay the Kaogmaon Ce Heilo. It may have appeared to be like any other underwater boulder, if it hadn’t been for the golden tendrils seeping through the hair thin crack that circled it’s middle it wasn’t really a shell, instead made of some dark obsidian rock with small flecks of gold littered across its surface. Layance could feel the weird energy coming from it. The outside was powerful, old and had a slimy feel, but the gold pulses of light felt clean and almost like a gentle touch of reassurance. He was drawn to it immediately and understood why his mother had given the warnings that she did. If he was to become the next King and perform this task by himself he needed to be careful.

     Queen Cryniss took his hand in hers and pulled him forward until they were floating carefully in front of it. She lifted their hands and placed her lips on the back of his before releasing it. She took a deep breath and placed her palms on the ridge of the Kaogmon, her eyes sliding closed in concentration. Her light dimmed until it went out completely leaving the cave to be filled with the purple light of the sun and the blue of Layance’s markings. He watched with worry as her face scrunched together and her fins waved violently. It wasn’t until Layance swam closer that she let out a gasp and reared off of the rock, pulling away in shock.

_“It doesn’t trust me to open it! It kicked me out and singed my hands!”_ Sure enough the queen’s hands were inflamed and bruised. Layance looked at his mother, her eyes widening in shock before she started shaking her head. “ _Layance don’t do it!”_ But Layance had already turned from her, swimming with determination towards the stone. He didn’t give it second thought before he slammed his hands down on the toxic covering. He screamed as the darkness latched on and bit into his hands, snaking up his arms. Visions of the past, the present and the future spun in his eyes. He yelled louder and pushed back against the intruder, as he saw the older versions of himself and Keith behind his eyelids. He could feel his light filling the entire cave as he fought the darkness of the Kaogmon. He would do this for Keith and he would do this for the other lucky creatures out in the universe fortunate enough to find each other.

**_“Good. You will be a worthy successor. You and your Heilo. Congratulations Prince Layance of the Boia-Sora, Paladin of the Blue Lion.”_ **

     The voice rattled his head and made his body twist in shock and disgust. His thoughts were reeling, but he still felt the pulse of energy that shoved him off of the rock. He opened his eyes to watch as the line of light that circled it started to widen until a expulsion of bubbles emerged and the top began to rotate upwards. Layance had to move to cover his eyes with his arm because the golden light became too bright to look at directly. It steadily dimmed and when it was save to look again the real Shell stood before them. It was a liquid cream and radiated purity, ridding the cave of that awful slimy feeling. He felt as his mother swam up to his side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned their heads together, their crowns clinking as they touched.

_“ Did you hear? That voice…”  _He heard her sigh and rake her fingers though the short hairs that tickled his neck.

_“ That was the Kaogmon. Most Boias misunderstand the name ‘Kaogmon ce Heilo’ this shell here, is Heilo; Soul. It’s protector is the Kaogmon; Shell. A creature of darkness that is sworn to watch over this purity so that no one can bring harm to it. It must have felt the insecurity in my heart because these are your Devion Velckei.”  _Layance nodded in wonderment. Queen Cryniss simply reached for his hands and led them to the Heilo. He swallowed before he gingerly touched its surface.

     A complete sense of holiness rushed though his body and it felt as if it touched the very corners of his being to clean out impurities. His self doubt, his insecurities, depression, anxieties, body dysphoria. Every dark thought that followed him everyday was pushed out of his body as he laid his hand on this sacred link to the old Gods. he felt it hum beneath his fingertips before it too slowly began to open.

      Inside lay the Divine Clasps that were created with the essence of Keith and him. They were smaller than the others he had seen, no more than an inch wide. Over crossing and looping lines were etched into the surface of the rose gold bracelets. One had inlaid sapphires at the peaks of the lines, while the other held rubies. They were stunning. Layance simply stared in awe at the sight of them. They were theirs. He heard his mother stifle a laugh from beside him.

     “ _Well go on then, take them! They’re yours.”_ Layance still couldn’t believe it as he reached into the Heilo and wrapped his hands around them. They were warm to the touch and as he pulled them out, it almost felt like he heard the faint sounds of pleased laughter. As soon as they were removed the Heilo closed and the Kaogmon spun down and closed violently. Without the bright light of the Soul the cave was once again filled with just the dim rose and cerulean of their marks and the purple light from the sun streaming in. Layance was starting to feel the weight of everything again and wanted to get out of this cave a soon as possible. The look he shared with his mother showed she shared the same sentiments. They wasted no time turning and swimming out of the cave.

     The journey up and out of the passageway was much more enjoyable, even if Layance could barely see now that they had lost so much energy and were unable to glow much brighter than a typical Boia. On the way up though Layance began to think about the Clasps he now held in his hands. He realized with deep fear that Keith didn’t know what these were, what they meant. Hell he didn’t even know why people kept calling him Layance’s Heilo. He couldn’t just suddenly throw these at him like a slap bracelet and expect him to be okay with it. They had really only just gotten together and to say ‘oh hey so here are these magic universal bracelets that were created for us because we were made to be together forever so we we put them on you suddenly now will live to be like over a thousand years old and you get to spend it with me!’ like no. It took him literally two years to get Keith to like him well enough and another two weeks of straight up cuddling every night before he even got to put his lips on the boy. It was going to be fucking sincs before he he would be open to the idea of living over ten times his friends and families lifetimes and on top of that being stuck with Layance as a Soulmate. Gods he felt bad for Keith. He was already freaked out enough that he’d been cuddling with a fucking merman from space. Layance scowled to himself. He would put these into his case with the rest of his royal garb and not think about it until he could feel comfortable enough with metaphorically pushing Keith down another flight of stairs.

     They emerged from the hole, weary but pleased. Some of the guards that had seen them go in were around the entrance ready to help them up. A young Boia-Sora was nearby with a velvet lined box waited and Layance sighed in relief. He carefully placed the Clasps inside and closed and locked the lid, looping the key around his neck on top of his ridiculous carcanet. The Boia girl eyed him confusedly before simply nodding and taking the case to the ballroom where Layance was now realizing Keith still was. He turned hurriedly to one of the guards, Mychael if he remembered correctly.

     “ _Quick do I look okay? Not like complete shit right?”_ Mychael seemed to panic a little before giving a shaky thumbs up.

     “ _Just a little tired, your highness but a charming as usual.”_ Layance fanned himself dramatically.

     “ _Thank god. That was hell in a hand basket, that’s for sure.”_ He just nodded in sympathy. They nodded to the rest of the guards before Layance and the Queen headed back to the ballroom to retrieve Keith. He turned to look at her and she simply smiled at him and gave him another side hug.

     “ _I’m so incredibly proud of you and all that you do, don’t you ever forget that, alright?”_

_“I know. Thanks mom.”_

_“I love you through the stars-”_

_“And I love you past them.”_


	19. Chapter 19: Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aeeeeeee back at it again with that shitty filler chapter xD for real though the rest of this story is just domesticity and rando adventures tbh buuuut sorry if this chapter sucks more than usual I wasn't feeling it until the end... I will warn y'all again I might not get the next chapter all the way written in time for next week- I'm gunna try, but I work overnights every day this week and then I have to drive 9 hours to get to a wedding this weekend sooooo might not happen. Y'all be glad I even remembered to post this one- I just woke up from passing out for like 6 hours xD  
> -Enjoy? -\\('_')/-

Keith’s P.O.V

 

     Okay Keith could admit maybe he should have taken Lance up on that offer of a castle tour. At the time, sitting and chilling in the ballroom seemed like a fine idea- he had a lot on his mind- but after like 10 minutes he’d pretty much come to terms with everything. He wouldn’t have minding talking to Quell a little longer, one of the royal advisers, but he had some other duties to attend to and Keith didn’t want to keep him. Which is how he ended up sitting on the floor for forty minutes staring out into ocean beyond the castle’s glass walls.

     He had deduced that silver must be a higher standard metal because any of the Boia-Sorans that had any kind of accessory were all wearing gold while the ones within the castle wore silver. For the most part many didn’t turn on their bioluminescence, though from the few that did in excitement or otherwise were much dimmer than Lance. Their patterns were all different too and Keith wondered if it was almost like a fingerprint. Skirts seemed to be the fashion choice of preference with varying styles, lengths, and color. Though many had different wrappings and jackets around their chests. He had to admit Lance was right; their fashion was pretty sweet. Either that or after being in space with one set of clothing seeing any sense of deviancy looked better.

     Keith was still busying himself admiring about how everyone had long flowing hair when a young Boia came swimming in with a small wooden case gripped protectively in her arms. Her lilac tail fin moved swiftly to the throne where she placed the case on a small platform next to it. She seemed to notice that Keith was there and let out a squeak before rushing out of the room again. Keith only pondered her presence a moment longer before his eyes went back to the mysterious case. Had he been anywhere else he probably would have gone snooping around to find out what was inside- but he was really trying to impress Lance’s mom who just happened to be the queen. Fucking mental.

     Not a minute after that, said royal and her son entered, looking slightly worse for wear. Lance had that look in his eyes that screamed ‘I’m very exhausted and in a lot of pain, but lets pretend that I’m fine and move on.’ Cryniss all but collapsed onto her throne, her arms thrown out in exasperation.

     “ _Layance come and get your Clasps. I’m afraid after that exposition I can’t find the energy to entertain you and your Soul today.”_ Keith looked to Lance for translation, but he didn’t even look his way. His form sagged and he simply swam up and took the case.

     “ _Well, we should probably get going then and talk to Gorfal now-”_ He didn’t get any further, her head snapping up.

     “ _Right. You’re leaving...”_ Keith almost flinched at the way her voice wavered and he was suddenly hit with understanding. Her son was leaving and could possibly never come back. She had sent him away once, but to have to do it again. Even with his extended lifetime that was something Keith could relate to. He got up and quickly swam over to her.

     “ _With all due respect your majesty, if we could stay longer I-we wouldn’t hesitate. But the Galra empire grows greater everyday with Zakon’s rule. Until we destroy him and rid the universe of Galran toxicity, as Paladins of Voltron, we have obligation to that. ” _ Keith’s words were steady, if not filled with silent longing and sadness. 

     “ _We’ll come and visit again soon, okay mom? You know I could never stay away from Sora long.”_ Lance turned next and gave Keith a huge smile, lacing their fingers together. “ _Keith and I both. I’m pretty sure he would kill me if I didn’t bring him.”_ Keith returned the smile and nodded defiantly.

     “You bet your ass I will.” They all laughed, the melodious sound filling the ballroom. Keith could only look between them two and promise silently to himself; they would come back, and they would come back to stay.

     Queen Cryniss rubbed her face a little before straightening up and floating off to join them, grabbing the case on the way. Lance let go of Keith’s hand to wrap his arms protectively around it, his eyes locked onto his mothers. She simply huffed in amusement before swimming past them. Lance motioned for Keith to grab hold and they followed her quickly.

     “ _You wanna answer question number one or number two?”_

_“ Neither thank you. Try again at a later date.” _

_“ Layance-” _

_“ Layance can’t come to the phone right now; he died.” _

_“ Don’t Taylor Swift me-” _

_“ Please- not now Keith.” _

     Keith prickled in annoyance, but didn’t push further. It seemed that Lauren’s advise would be serving him for a while longer. Lance had clearly gone for more than a ‘walk’ with his mother and it seemed to be connected to what was in that box. He had mistakenly assumed that it was the Queens, but she had given it to Lance, so perhaps not. It was clearly something that she meant for him to take back with him. But that begged the question as to what was inside. Keith was starting to get that itching feeling to find out, but he was already on thin ice for sneaking around the first time. He wasn’t really interested in doing it again so soon, lest he get his ass kicked, in and out of the water.

     The Boia-Sorans waved and bowed as they passed on their way out of the kingdom, many more spectators coming out to see them. Some watched Keith with wide eyes that softened when they noticed the box that Lance held. It only pegged the question more. Keith spotted the young lilac tailed Boia from earlier and waved at her with a smile, and she blushed and waved back with a small smile. They passed through the barrier and Keith watched as the guards disappeared in the distance. He looked forward and gripped tighter as they picked up speed and closed his eyes when he was nearly blinded by both Lance’s and the Queens light.

     The journey felt shorter than it did the first time. Maybe because it was filled with disappointment and  anxiousness. None of the three of them were looking forward to talking to Gorfal and Keith was sure Lance wasn’t looking forward to going back. He would have to go back to lying to the team and being confined to land. Keith added another task to his growing list to figure out how to find time to let Lance shift too. The castle didn’t just have a pool to be pretty after all. If he was being honest he wasn’t looking forward to having to shift back either. He had gotten used to being to see and hear better, hell he even had a weirdly better sense of motor control. He almost sighed to himself. It would, theoretically, be much easier for all parties if they told everyone. But there was a sort of need to keep it to just them. Such big secrets just between them and no one else. There was a sick satisfaction to it.

     The water was getting lighter the closer they got to the surface and Keith could suddenly see that the islands of Sora were much like Icebergs, the large and violent white monolithic structures stretching for miles under the surface. They swam into what appeared to be a natural expanding opening and upwards through it until they broke the surface; inside of the castle. He heard a few Iria gasp at their entrance and suddenly the entryway was filled with the sound of flight. There seemed to be a staircase that had been carved into the rock and Lance let Keith off for him to walk up the steps. His body sagged against the gravity of being out of the water again. He turned to watch Lance as he set the case down and braced his arms against the steps. His face scrunched up into a grimace of pain and Keith watched, fascinated as the fins on his face flattened against the side of his head and seemed to meld back into the flesh there, revealing his ears. The same happened to the fins on his forearms and the one along his spine. He let out a loud whine of discomfort before he opened his eyes again and looked towards Keith, pupils normal, if not twinged in the lingering aftershocks. Slowly he stood, unsteady and Keith rushed to help him up, Lance’s knees buckling just as he got there. He reached for the case and Lance quickly took it from him, almost falling over in the process.

     Queen Cryniss stood from behind him, as elegant as always without a hint of the same troubles that Lance had. Perhaps that came with being hundreds of years old. She was just as beautiful on land as she was under water, a good couple inches taller than Lance. Her cover and skirt billowed behind her as she walked up the steps, water falling off of her long hair. Of course Lance and her both looked perfect coming out of the water, meanwhile he looked like an accidental drowning victim.

      Lance and him walked behind her as they made their way through the castle. Iria-Soran’s all bowed as she passed, eyeing them from behind with their gazes locked on the case in Lance’s arms. The white walls of the castle appeared more threatening this time around with the thought of Gorfal’s disagreement on the horizon, but being here with the Queen was reassuring at least. They didn’t speak as they entered the room that they had met him before. Gorfal sat on his throne and seemed to be in good spirits until he noticed them entering the room. His blood-red iris’ watching them with deadly precision and caution. His ornaments of  decoration no longer shined as he let out a deep rumble.

     “ _Queen Cryniss.”_ The Queen watched back with the same intensity and spoke with a poisonous smile.

     “ _King Gorfal.”_ The silence that broke the room after that was thick and made Keith exceptionally uncomfortable. Lance stood stalk straight and said nothing of the exchange. “ _I implore you to accept the terms that were offered to us by the Paladins of Voltron to join the Voltron Alliance. “_ Gorfal said nothing, simply looking between the Queen and them with narrowed eyes. It was only then that Lance spoke up.

     “ _This meeting is merely for your benefit of understanding. It’s not a question. We will be taking our leave now.”_ Cryniss and her son turned then and began walking out, Keith rushing to catch up.

     “It was a pleasure to see you, your majesty.” was the last thing that Lance said before they exited the room. Keith didn’t know what they had said to the full extent, but he knew they had brought up the alliance, so it must have been settled now. None of the other planets in the Haven district needed to be liberated so their job was unfortunately done now. He reached out with his mind and called to Red, who woke readily and alerted him that she was on her way.

     She landed harshly as they were walking down the white steps of the castle. Many Iria-Sorans had gathered and looked in awe at the large robotic lion. Keith could feel her preening under their gazes. Keith found familiar faces among the crowd; Tortalean, Roseln Maccean, even the old woman from all those weeks ago, standing with her grandson with wide smiles. Keith realized that even if they had been here for such a short time, he had met so many new people that he could call friends. It felt like he was leaving a place that he could one day call his home really. And that thought scared him. He had never felt like that before. Even when he left Earth, returned, there was nothing to tie him there any longer. His mother was a blade member- possibly somewhere out in the vastness of space, his father dead. His brother up here with him. His boyfriend right by his side. But something about Sora made him feel like he belonged here. Not on Earth or on the Castle of Lions. No, being here among the Iria and Boia-Sorans he felt like he could simply exist. And he hadn’t felt like that in a long time.

     He was startled out of his thoughts when Cryniss walked up to him with a gentle smile on her face. He looked up at her with a certain happiness on his face that had previously been reserved for Lance in the darkness of their bedrooms. She didn’t hesitate to quickly wrap her arms around him and he felt her rub her fingers on his ears and he felt suddenly calm, something that only a mother’s warmth can give. He blinked away tears as she pulled away.

     “Take care of Layance for me please? You need each other more than you could ever comprehend. May the universe bless you and I await your return.” Keith could only nod and give a watery smile back. She moved quickly to hug Lance, squishing the case between them. She whispered something to him and he nodded in earnest. She placed a kiss on his forehead in the space visible between his rather extensive crown before pulling back. Keith turned at the sound of flapping and saw that Roseln had come closer holding a basket with their uniforms in it and the wooden case that was for Lance’s crown. Keith took both from her and thanked her readily. She smiled and wished him luck. When he turned back Lance was playfully shoving Tortalean around as they said their goodbyes. Keith could only smile as he slowly made his way towards Red, who had leaned her large maw down to let them in. he turned to watch Lance wave and jog up to join him. They smiled and waved at the Iria-Sorans who cheered and waved them goodbye. Only as Red lifted her head up and closed her mouth did Keith turn and look at Lance.

     He was smiling, wider than Keith had seen in a long time. There was a sadness to it, but when he turned to Keith he let out a laugh before rushing to crash their lips together. Keith chuckled into it as Lance pulled back. He slowly shifted as they made their way to the cockpit and Keith pushed Lance out of frame with a smile as he dialed to connect to Allura. She answered quickly.

     “Oh! Keith! I take it that the mission was a success, are you ready to return?” He nodded as her eyes slid around to the background. “I would ask why you dressed like that but I am more concerned with where Lance is…” Keith smiled and rolled his eyes. He was surprised about how much her attitude had changed towards him. Maybe some time away from him was all she needed. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t going to complain.  

     “Don’t worry he’s just out of frame because he’s indecent at the moment-” Lance’s loud exclamation of, ‘Hey I am not!’ Could be heard in the background. Allura smiled before turning her eyes back to Keith as she opened the portal.

     “Keith, I’m sorry about how I’ve been acting towards you; I have been made aware that it was not appropriate no matter my feelings towards the Galra. I know that you are a very important part of our team and I wouldn’t replace you for anyone.”  Keith simply nodded at her

     “Thanks Allura. We’ll see you in a little bit.” The call cut out and Lance was suddenly at his side, thankfully fully dressed once again.

     “I’m glad that she’s come to her senses.” Keith turned to look and found a rather devious smile on his face.

     “What did you do.” Lance had the audacity to look surprised.

     “Nothing!” The face that Keith sent his way must have been enough to say that he wasn’t buying that bullshit. “Okay so I might have mentioned it to Blue before we left and she said that she would handle it- But I swear I didn’t tell her to do anything! It was all her doing!” Keith shook his head but he couldn’t really find it in himself to be really mad. It was actually really sweet of him to care enough to alert his lion, and even more impressive that Blue took it into her own hands. He was hit again with that wave of affection for his boyfriend and fellow paladins.

     They shot through the portal, leaving the Haven district far behind as they were surrounded by the bright holographic vortex responsible for carrying them through the vast distances of the universe. Keith took that as a good time to get up and get changed. Lance was in the middle of taking his crown off, the rest of his jewelry already removed and back inside the larger of the two cases. Keith hurried to unclasp the various chains and belt, removing the armor and pants to slip on the now clean undersuit. He pretended to not notice lance staring but he still smiled to himself. He had almost finished putting on all of his outer armor, slowly sliding both vambrances on when lance walked over and pulled the clips and wrap out of his hair, causing it to fall down in waves. It was much more voluminous than it usually was due to having been put up. It was still damp as it fell into his eyes and he didn’t startle when Lance brushed it out of his eyes. He pulled his bangs up and clipped them off to the side again.

     “There, now I can see your eyes again.” Keith just looked down and smiled.

     Red let out a purr before telling him to sit back down as they exited the wormhole. The Castle was a familiar and reassuring sight and Keith pulled the controls to land safely into the hanger. No one was waiting for them, but it wasn’t like Keith was expecting anyone to. It was just another mission for the alliance to everybody else. Lance grabbed both cases as Keith grabbed their bags and they moved to exit. He could feel approval from both Red and Blue and he had to try to contain his proud smile. It slipped a little when he felt a small _thank you_ from Blue. They moved quickly and broke off to each others respected rooms. Keith dropped their bags on the floor and moved to collapse on his bed. He knew that he should get up and shower, but he really wasn’t interested in moving. He probably would have fallen asleep like that if Lance hadn’t come charging in to tackle him. There was a loud crash as they rolled and fell off of the bed in a mess of armor and limbs.

     “What the fuck! Lance I swear to god!” Lance just laughed and started pulling Keith’s armor off.

     “Come on! I wanna nap and we both need to shower first!” Keith pushed his hands away.

     “Lance, trust me I like you a lot, but I don’t think we’re at that level yet- no matter how much skin was showing this trip.” Lance turned bright red and squawked.

     “NO! I just wanted to cuddle and take a nap but you were already falling asleep! SEPARATE SHOWERS JESUS CHRIST KEITH GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!” Keith stifled a laugh and pushed him off, shoving him towards the door.

     “Get going then! I want to sleep!” Lance just booked it out of his room and Keith moved to lock the door for good measure. He took off the rest of his armor and slipped into the shower. The hot water felt amazing on his skin and he was surprised that he didn’t notice until now that despite spending so much time in the water on Sora, his skin hadn’t pruned. Magical. He washed as quickly as his tired body allowed before stepping out and drying off. Strangely enough he wished that he still had the nightgown he had worn the night before. Instead he turned to his closet where the red paladin themed pajamas still hung unused. Yeah, it might have been the middle of the day, but time didn’t exist in space in Keith’s opinion. He slipped them on and shrugged at how soft they were. No wonder Lance wore his all the time. He moved to unlock the door and pick up Lance’s bag. He carried it next door and knocked _politely_. There was some bumping around and a distant ‘HOld oN!’ before Lance was opening the door. He sagged and smacked Keith on the shoulder.

     “Why the hell did you knock now of all times?”

     “Unlike some people, I like to give people a heads up before I come running in. Despite what you might think, I don’t think I’m mentally ready yet to see you completely naked.”

     “Technically-”

     “Shut up. No mer-dick right now. Sleep.”

     Lance wheezed in laughter and pulled him in. He locked the door and pulled Keith into the bed. Keith latched on immediately and shifted back, reveling in the feeling of how everything around him was suddenly more noticeable. The softness of the blanket, the warmth of Lance’s body, the shimmer of his skin in the dim lights. Lance smiled and drew him into a solid press of their lips before moving to press one to his forehead. Keith could see that Lance had relaxed his eyes, his pupils narrowing to their apparent normal narrow sliver. It made Keith want to smile. This was where they were now. Just two aliens cuddling together amiss a huge intergalactic war. He was almost asleep when he remember that mysterious case.

     “Are you going to tell me what’s in that case?” He felt Lance tense. He opened his eyes again to place his hand on the side of his face. “ _Layance-”_ He let out a sigh and Keith could feel it on the side of his palm.

     “Just some bracelets-” Keith could hear the truth in his words, but he knew that they weren’t just some bracelets. There wouldn’t be this much controversy if they were just some simple accessory.

     “Layance I know they’re not just some bracelets. They’re important, aren’t they?” He moved his body so they were face to face. Keith could see the fear that lingered in the corners of his eyes. Lance grabbed and laced their fingers together.

     “They’re a pair of Devion Velckei.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Keith’s eyebrows twitched in memory

     “Divine Clasps?” Lance’s eyes widened in shock.

     “You know what they are?” Keith shook his head minutely.

     “Just by name. The log mentioned that if the Queen produced them, anyone could marry into the royal family, but that was pretty much all I know.” Lance shook his head.

     “The Kaogomon Ce Heilo produces them, the Queen just presents them.” He paused and Keith waited patiently for him to continue. “The Soul is a remnant of when the old Gods ruled the planets of the universe. Through old magic, for a lack of better words, it feels across the whole universe and when two creatures come together and are meant to be, bounded together by fate; Soulmates basically- It creates a pair of Clasps. The pair can accept to wear them and are granted certain liberties by- well the universe I guess.” Keith pressed closer, fully invested now and wide awake.

     “What kinds of liberties?” Lance looked wearily at him and continued.

     “Well, whichever of the two creatures has a longer lifetime, its granted to the other so they can live together for as long as possible. And I guess they work kind of like a mind connection. Since the point of being Soulmates is that your souls are connected, the Clasps help to connect everything else. You become telepathic between each other and can feel the others emotions.” Keith’s mouth dropped open and his eyes moved to the case that now laid on the floor in awe.

     “And you have a pair of those just sitting in a case over there? What if someone tries to steal them?” Lance let out another sigh.

     “No one, but the ones they were created for can wear them. It burns anyone else who tries to take them.” Keith’s eyes slowly moved back to meet Lance’s.

     “And whose are they?” His voice had gotten much quieter, a part of him already knowing the answer, but not fully ready to say it out loud. Lance looked to him with that same fear that he had when they had started this conversation, his pupils narrowed to thin line.

     “Ours.”


	20. Chapter 20: Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> waaa sorry that this chapter is short and useless it was not what I had intended to write but I realized that things needed to be said- that and I know y'all wanted to see the other characters xD its been a while! I wrote this whole thing today after I passed out from work (all overnights the whole week #dead) so sorry if its got more mistakes than usual and doesn't flow as nicely lol. You'll get some premium Lance.TM content next chapter so if I'm not deceased from another full week of overnights you shall get a new chapter same time same place next week (Mondays at 5pm my time if you have forgotten from CHAPTER 1 TWENTY CHAPTERS AGO) Enough rambling though!  
> -Enjoy!

     Keith almost reeled back in shock. He supposed that it really shouldn’t be that surprising- part of him definitely knew that when he asked his heart already knew the answer- but that didn’t stop the stutter in his breath. Lance wasn’t looking at him, probably too afraid to look up at Keith. He didn’t know what expression he had, but considering the misunderstandings that had come from his resting disapproving face, it probably wasn’t going to be the face Lance wanted to see. He just couldn’t wrap his brain around it. The universe had decided that there was no other person better suited to be with him until he died than the person he was currently wrapped up in. If he put that bracelet on he would feel every emotion that Lance felt. For God’s sake he would have the possibility to live _a thousand years._ He was so overwhelmed. Lance was his fucking soulmate. It was unbelievable and frankly a lot to think about. Lance had stated that he didn’t have to take it. They could pretend like they didn’t exist- clearly that had been the plan and Keith could for once understand why Lance had chosen to omit their existence. Keith knew that he hadn’t wanted to throw it at him right of the bat. They had only recently begun to understand their feeling for each other. Of  course, Keith took the blame for not leaving well enough alone and pressuring Lance into telling him what was in the case. He was only now realizing he had yet to say anything and could feel Lance begin to pull away and he rushed to bridge the gap he’d made.

     “ _Layance-_ wait, please. It’s just a lot to take in. I’m going to need some time to you know, come to terms with it-” Lance quickly looked back at him as a shuddering breath left him.

     “Of course, of course! Hell, there’s no rush. If you decide five months from now that you never want to see my face again, then I’ll throw them into the ocean and we’ll never speak of this ever again!” Keith rolled his eyes.

     “As if I could ever get mad enough at you to compromise Voltron simply because I don’t want to hear or speak to you.”

     “Hey! You say that now! But just you wait! I’ll do something so incredibly stupid you’ll have to hate me!”

     “If you’re doing something stupid you better bet your ass that I either suggested it or I’m doing it along with you.”

     “...Touché.”

     They both smiled at that before quieting down. After everything they bother were thoroughly exhausted. Keith merely pulled the blankets higher up and snuggled closer. Lance moved to get more comfortable before settling down. He slowly ran his fingers though Keith’s hair and Keith’s eyes grew heavier. He wasn’t quite sure, but he swore he heard a faint ‘thank you’ muttered in Soran as he succumbed to sleep. There was nothing he needed to be thanked for though- he knew deep down he would never leave Layance’s side.

 

     He woke slowly to the dim light of the small room. Lance was softly snoring beside him, his features looking more Soran than they had the night before and Keith had to wonder how he had never noticed it. Even in the twinkles of the Christmas lights strung around the room, or the glow of the fluorescent blue lining, Keith could see the small scales that reflected from his cheekbones. They were like small rainbows embedded in his skin. The arms wrapped around him were suspiciously slick and when he looked down, Keith could make out the small abrasions of fins beginning to stick out of Lance’s forearms. It was fascinating and Keith probably could have spent hours just admiring his boyfriend (Soulmate???) but a grumbling in his stomach urged him to maneuver his way out of bed.

     He caught his reflection in the mirror opposite of the door leading the corridor and took a moment to reassess. The first time he had shifted all those weeks ago he had been horrified and in shock, yet now when he looked at his purple hued skin, large tufted ears and elongated fangs he could only smile. This was who he was and who he would always be. Just an alien that was dating another alien from planets light years apart, saving the universe one lion at a time. He watched as he shifted back and his eye’s lost their yellow tint, but not the shimmer of pride. Too bad shifting didn’t fix his awful bed head also. He ran his fingers through it on his way out of the room in search of food. He thanked the Gods that no one was ever roaming the corridors in the many times he had to sneak out of Lance’s room.

     When he made it to the kitchen he was pleasantly surprised to find Hunk’s tall form moving about. He was humming absently to himself and didn’t notice Keith pad in. When he finally turned he smiled and presented a tray of what looked like omelets, no doubt filled with seasoned space goo.

     “Hiya Keith! How did the mission go? You all got in and went straight to sleep. Pidge wanted to bust into your rooms and scare you but I stopped her- I figured you would want the rest.” Keith nodded. They would have had a scare all right- a heart attack at its finest.

     “The mission was a success. No civilian casualties, and only one Galran General had to be eliminated to destroy the base.” Hunk’s eyes seemed to catch on the bruises on his neck as he pushed a plate towards him.

     “Yeah, and how did it _go_?” Keith could only sigh. Bless Hunk, but sometimes…

     “I’m alright, really. He got a hold of me and held pretty tight before Lance showed up and eviscerated him. Lance is completely fine by the way and don’t let him tell you otherwise.” Hunk seemed satisfied with the answer and crossed his arms as Keith dug in to the Earthly-Altean cuisine.

     “As long as you let Coran put some ointment on those I’ll let it slide.” He paused before leaning against the counter and taking an omelet for himself. “So what was Sora like? Pidge said it has bird people, which is pretty cool I’m not gunna lie.” Keith nodded in time with his chews.

     “Sora is the most beautiful plant I’ve seen next to Earth, ironically on the opposite side of the universe. The Iria are kinda weird and very invasive of privacy but they were nice enough- well not King Gorfal towards the end but we kinda pissed him off.” Hunk didn’t looked surprised in the least. Ouch. “But the Boia- wow. The castle was something out of a fantasy and they’re all so pretty. Their tails are huge but they’re all really cool color combinations-” Hunk held up his hands to stop him.

     “Wait, wait, wait- you actually _saw_ a Boia-Soran? Pidge said not even the Alteans from ten thousand years ago had seen them!” Keith held back a grimmest. Right. Fuck.

     “Well we had to go and talk to Queen Cryniss about joining the alliance-”

     “YOU SAW THE QUEEN?” Keith wanted to facepalm hard enough to lose consciousness.

     “Yes she was very beautiful;  pink and gold. The good thing is that she really liked Lance and I guess she tolerated me and agreed full-heartedly to let Sora join the alliance.”

     “Shut up you dingbat she loved you. She didn’t want you to leave.” They turned to catch Lance stroll in and place his chin on Keith’s shoulder from behind, his eyes not quite open yet.

     “She didn’t want you to leave either-”

     “Well there’s a valid reason for that. Though I guess you have a pretty valid reason too.”

      “I feel like I’m missing something here- did Lance woo the Queen of the Boia-Sora?” Lance and Keith turned to Hunk in various states of horror and disgust.

      “Jesus Christ-”

      “No!”

      Hunk raised his hands in surrender. “Alright! Sorry! You said she was pretty so I just assumed! You have a tendency to flirt with anything that has vague attractiveness so you can see where I just figured that if she didn’t want you guys to leave she either wanted to eat you or date you!”

      “There is only one individual that shall be receiving my flirtatious attempts from now on I reckon and it definitely isn’t my- a alien queen!”

      “Rightttttttt- Allura is still technically a princess, isn’t she?” Keith and Lance shared a look, Keith’s lips stretching into what could only be described as a rather devious smile. This was going to be so much fun to be the ones messing with the rest of the crew for once.

     “Yeah Princess Allura yep. Wowee.” Keith had hold in his snort of laughter. Very convincing. He turned his head so he could whisper into his ear without Hunk hearing.

      “You’re going to have to get better at lying if you’re going to be King, _princeling_.” When he pulled away, a faint blush had dusted over the bridge of his nose. Lance simply moved to grab a omelet and smack Keith on the shoulder as he did so.

      “I’ll have you know I had you in the dark for over two years so I think I’m perfectly qualified, _mon petit chaton._ ” Keith smacked him back with a smile and got up to go get changed. He chose not to notice the look of confusion on Hunk’s face at the exchange.

     After he got cleaned up, now donning a light gray v neck and his typical black jeans, he made his way to the bridge where Allura and Shiro were discussing battle tactics. He resisted the urge to shout ‘nerds!’ at them and chose instead to join them. Shiro stopped mid-sentence to acknowledge him.

     “Keith, it’s good to see you back and well.” Allura nodded and gave him a warm smile.

     “I share the same sentiments, and I hope you can forgive my behavior from before. I was in denial, and while that is now excuse, I hope you understand.” Keith nodded at her and gave a small smile.

     “It’s alright Allura. There’s no hard feelings. It was hard for me to come to terms with as well, so I don’t blame you, especially after everything that has happened.” He didn’t get to say anything else before he was being crushed to death in a full body hug. He gave her back a few awkward pats and scowled at Shiro, who was trying not to laugh out loud at the sight. Keith decided that he liked Lance’s hugs the best.

     “I was just coming to check in and tell you that the liberation of Sora went well and they are willing to join the rebellion now. The other planets in the Haven district were not raided by Galra so Queen Cryniss spoke on the behalf of the district that it offers full support and will aid in whatever way it can.” They nodded, pleased to hear the news.

     “I will admit I was worried about sending you off on a mission with Lance alone, but Allura assured me it would be fine and it looks like she was right, of course.” Shiro was smiling at him and Keith felt his chest swell with pride.

     They quickly moved on to their next move figuring in a few days to send Keith and Pidge off on a mission in the Westuion District while Shiro and Hunk go to the Styr District. Lance, Allura and Coran were to stay behind to make various political calls and meetings. A month ago jealousy would have reared its ugly head at the idea, but now all Keith could do was keep his amusement inside. Just a prince and a princess doing their royal duty of taking care of the political stuff for the rest of them.

     As far as Allura could tell, Zarkon still had not discovered their location and because of their hopping, so they could continue to grow the alliance until then. Keith nodded along and assisted with some of the battle strategies before Shiro suggested that he go and find Pidge since he knew she had some things to discuss with him. He was slightly bewildered as to why she would have to talk to him about, his electrical engineering not nearly at her and Hunk’s level, when he remembered. She had been his partner in crime on this whole ‘Lance speaks another language.’ He hadn’t told her where they were going before they had left. No doubt she wanted updates. He mentally prepared himself as he made his way to the hanger. This conversation he’d have to be more careful about than with Hunk. Not much gets past Katie “Pidge” Holt. For the youngest member she was still the smartest and that was frankly terrifying.

      When he got to the hanger he could see her crouched over a computer, squinting at lines of code in silence before she jumped.

      “Aha! Found ya, you little mistype! It’s fascinating that a few miss-coded binary can cause this whole line to fail and cause the food goo machine to malfunction....again.” Keith had taken the time in her rambling to come up and stand beside her. The secondary computer next to her began to run a string of binary as he stepped up.

      ‘0100101101100101011010010111010001101000…’ She seemed to notice it and her eyebrows rose in surprise before she turned around.

      “Keith! Hey! Good to know this computer’s small A.I. system is able to recognize faces.” Keith simply shook his head. Leave it to Pidge. She patted the bench made out of crates next to her and he moved to sit down while she resumed her work, pulling up a camera that connected to the kitchen where Hunk still was, though now he had moved to sit in front of the food goo machines, arms deep in repair work and the goo. She turned an intercom on for the room.

      “Hey I think I found the problem in the coding. It was still messed up slightly from when the Galra hacked the ship so every 10th time you’d try to get food goo from that machine, the excess that was slowly accumulating with every miss-coded register would back up until it could get full and explode and leak everywhere.” Keith hear Hunk cheer in surprise.

      “Sweet! I found the leak point and I replaced the part so it should be all good now! Thanks for your help Pidge! It would have taken me forever to find something that small in the code!” The side computer started whirling again in response to Hunk’s comment.

      ‘010101010110111001101100011010010110101101100101011011000111100100100001’ Pidge laughed.

      “Sam says ‘unlikely!’ to that!” Hunk laughed along with her and Keith had to smile. The feed cut out and Pidge looked at him from the side, still very amused. “So. Keith. Details. Tell me what you have discovered.”

      “He’s not some science experiment-”

      “You know what I mean dumbass.” Keith sighed. He hoped he’d gotten better at lying or this was going to get ugly fast.

      “Well it turns out your hypothesis was correct. A planet with merpeople means that Lance learned their language. He had a really good time getting to talk to the locals and meeting the Boia-Sora. The base was easy to take out and the planet was beautiful.” Pidge looked skeptical but seemed to take the answer easy enough. He coughed. “I’m sure you are aware of how many languages he speaks so it shouldn’t be that surprising really-” He stopped when her eyebrows rose.

      “No I don’t really? English and Spanish sure, a little Samoan and Italian here and there-” Keith held his hand up, a smile fighting to take over his features. Why was it so satisfying to gloat on your boyfriends behalf about how smart he was?

      “Fluent in all four actually and about a dozen other languages from just Earth alone. Pidge, _He’s brilliant._ We couldn’t have been more wrong about him.” He felt his giddiness rise as he watch her face morph into surprise, before a wide smile broke out on her face.

      “Wow! That’s amazing! Why didn’t I not know this? Or more importantly, why doesn’t Hank know this? You would think with how much he loves to brag he would be boasting that more often!” Keith’s lips downturned in a frown.

      “He is under the assumption that it’s weird thing to be good at and doesn’t want anyone to know- trust me it took a lot to get it out of him. So don’t tell him I told you, please. In fact don’t mention it at all.” She nodded sadly before her critical eye found his again.

      “I won’t say anything even though I have a million questions. But speaking of Lance- How are you two doing~?” Keith’s cheeks heated and he looked away with a huff.

      “What do you mean by that?” Pidge let out an exasperated sigh.

      “Don’t think we didn’t notice the hand holding snuggle fest that happened during the whole trip home-”

      “He needed support! I was being a considerate friend!”

      “And the personal training sessions?” Keith narrowed his eyes at her.

      “He needed to learn hand to hand combat better or he was going to get killed out on the field. Why do you know so much? Are you fucking spying on us?” Pidge wiggled her eyebrows.

      “Guilty as charged. Well as much as I can in my free time that is- I still have work to do- but if the cameras hadn’t been disabled in your rooms I would know all!” Fear and confusion flashed across his face.

      “Disabled?” He asked tenderly.

      “Oh yeah and loaded with heavily encrypted firewalls and redirects. It highly impressive and would probably take my bots weeks to get through. It’s not on the other rooms though… just yours and Lances?” Keith shuttered in surprise.

      “It wasn’t me.”

      “And Hunk said it wasn’t him either… shit. I feel bad for taking slams at Lance’s intelligence now.” Keith felt a sort of sick satisfaction in hearing her say that. It was time Lance got the recognition he deserved on this team. He nodded and a thoughtful silence fell between them as Pidge processed. Her eyes slid to him again and she narrowed her gaze. “So you going to tell me what you to do in those rooms all by your lonesome?” Keith swore under his breath, so quiet Pidge mistook it as a gasp.

     “Nothing! I-I have a lot of issues to sort through and Lance is a good listener and he’s been helping me come to terms with some things.” Not technically a lie, per say-

      “You guys are having nighttime therapy sessions? Wow that’s not what I thought you were going to say at all considering you stay in there together overnight sometimes.” _every night_ his brain supplied.

      “I-I don’t really want anyone to see me afterwords- it’s really tiring okay most of the time I end up passing out on the floor. Perks of being a half alien orphan I guess.” Keith didn’t know why he was getting so worked up over this. It wasn’t really Pidge’s probing questions; those happened everyday no matter the circumstances. Perhaps it was for his and Lance’s identities sake. That was their time away from the rest of the team where all secrets were revealed. They could connect without fear of being discovered. It was theirs. And Keith didn’t like others butting in. Pidge looked down in shame and muttered a quiet sorry. Keith rolled his shoulders and let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

     “Just- don’t ask about that stuff okay? It’s hard enough to get it out to someone I lo-trust with my life. Give me time to adjust before I feel comfortable enough to tell the rest of you.” she thankfully didn’t catch his slip up, even though his mind was now kicked into overdrive. He had almost said that. He had almost admitted that. Was it really true? Shit, maybe he did need to turn the shifting training sessions into therapy sessions- Lord knows he can’t talk to Shiro about this shit.

     She nodded and slowly turned back to her computer. Keith got up to leave, but her voice carried when he was almost out of the hanger. “Well for what it’s worth I’m happy for you; both of you.” Keith didn’t say anything as he headed to the training deck. He needed to punch something right now.


	21. Chapter 21: Fucking Magic Space Bracelets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Fucking Shit My Dudes. 1.) I am so sorry for not updating, the last 2 weeks has been a fucking nightmare with work and helping my gf move into her new aprt 2.) SEASON 7 HOLY FUCK I AM UPSET AND SUBSEQUENTLY AMAZED I'VE ALREADY RANTED TO LIKE 3 OUT OF THE 5 PEOPLE I TALK TO 3.) why why why is the klance fandom so fucking extra like leakira seriously guys xD I was soooo fucking confused, but now that I know what's going on I have to say you fuckers are insane like brah there's like one season left just fucking let it go lololol (but also if lance is alluras rebound I am actually going to throw a chair) In story news, its time for me to add canon back in a little bit here and there. Feel free to tell me if it gets annoying, but I'd assume a little season 2/3 recap might not be too bad since we're all dealing with 7 still. But uh sorry if this chapter sucks it was kinda hard to write and make it flow okay? so, sorry if its choppy... fucking magic space bracelets  
> -Enjoy! (-_0)'

     The next week passed by slowly and uneventfully as it could while being a paladin of Voltron. They resumed liberating planets successfully with minimal damage and stuck to avoiding Zarkon. However, they could all tell that this small break wouldn’t last for much longer. From their continued communication with the Blade, they had received information on a prisoner that they needed to rescue to help the Olkari finish the super Teludav and once that was completed they would be ready to fight the Galran Leader head on. Just the thought of it was nerve racking, but at the same time Keith was ready to beat the shit out of that asshole. Without another thought, Coran is off to help the Olkari, Pidge Shiro and Lance set off towards the prison to rescue this “Slav” character, Allura heads for the Balmara to acquire a new crystal for the Castle of Lions, and Keith and Hunk are left to go inside of a weblum for scaultrite.

     It is understandably disgusting being inside the large and dangerous creature. And for all of Hunk’s teasing it was much better when they were still together. Keith was currently fighting off the antibodies in what could only be labeled as awkward silence with the Galra pilot in the third stomach. She, because Keith’s not that much of an idiot he knows it’s a female (for ambiguities sake though he referred to her as a male because otherwise he was sure Hunk wouldn’t have let it go quite so easily,) is choosing to ignore him for the most part. He’s sure she’s only in here for the same reason that they are so he keeps it short and once Hunk gets the weblum to fire, quickly rounds up the scaultrite. At gunpoint, she takes her share and leaves, leaving Hunk and Keith to head out. It was only a matter of time before Allura calls for their help to fight off the Ro-beast for a second time.

     The battle that ensues is pretty cut and dry, though almost getting vaporized by a laser while floating in nothing but some armor in the middle of space was slightly terrifying. But they all got to their lions in good time and formed Voltron to destroy it. With all of the pieces they headed back to Olkarian to meet back up with Coran. While they traveled Lance came over to get a recap and gave him a fist bump for having a more exciting mission than they had. Keith made sure to complement Lance on his sharpshooting skills since he knew that he was pretty insecure about being a part of the team sometimes. If he was glad for one thing out of how their relationship had evolved, it was how he had been able to help Lance feel more sure of himself. He knew that there was a small part of Lance that still looked up to him in a sort of idealistic hero worship, even if it had lessened over the years. It made him wonder if the others dealt the same sorts of insecurities. He made a mental note to talk to each member individually and see if he could help. He knew for a long time he wasn’t the best teammate and he still wondered if it was best for him to be here, but for now he could at least try and connect to the others more.

     It had been suggested to them that while construction of the Teludav was completed, that they all get some rest before the battle tomorrow. They were going to fight Zarkon and dethrone the Galra empire; it could possibly be their last battle. The weight was heavy as everyone split to their respected rooms on the Castle in silence.

    No one seemed to notice Keith slip into Lance’s room with him thankfully. Lance and him had become sneakier with their antics now that they knew Pidge was always watching the cameras, though Lance constantly assured him that hacking into the cameras and deleting footage was nothing compared to creating the firewalls. They didn’t really get to talk much during the day anymore, so their nights were filled with late night chats and snuggles (and occasional make out sessions,) laughing about the confused looks from the others that were still blissfully unaware of what was going on between them. Keith suspected that Pidge was still on to them, but after their talk she thankfully hadn’t brought it up again.

    Lying down in the dim lights of room, Keith simply kept quiet; he was far too restless to even consider closing his eyes. Lance had fallen asleep pretty quickly and left him to contemplate. It had been a week, but his thoughts still ended up on the Clasps that lay hidden in a case that lay in the corner of Lance’s room. He knew that he really truly liked Lance a lot, loved even, but was he ready after only a couple weeks to commit to something so final? If they put them on then not only would he be admitting that the universe was right, but he would also suddenly lengthen his lifetime by _900 years._ He would be able to talk to Lance with his mind, which honestly would be very helpful- but also feel everything Lance felt and vise versa. With their line of work that could be incredibly concerning. They already dealt with a similar form of phantom feelings when they were all connected as Voltron, but to feel it all the time unfiltered? Pain was something that they all dealt with on every mission and Keith wondered if it would take a negative toll on the two of them if they had twice the amount of pain every time. It was a terrifying concept; the Clasps. Keith mistakenly thought that he could push them out of his mind since they were such a intricate and relationship influencing thing- he thought he would be able to brush it under the rug for a while, but when they left for their separate missions it was like it was all he could think about. Was he okay? What was happening? Was the mission going alright? Did they need back up? Thoughts that had never really occurred before, but since the trip to Sora, had increased ten fold. Questions that could be sated if they were wearing those fucking bracelets probably. Would the risk be worth the reward?  

     Keith shook himself out of that rabbit hole again. As much as he was weirdly leaning towards the idea of them it was still probably too soon. Sure he had known Lance for almost 3 years now, but there was much bigger fish to fry and no time for relationship drama in space. They’d only been really official for somewhat over a week and a half for God’s sake. Keith might not have any experience and even less knowledge about how relationships work, but he knew enough to know that was rushing things. But at the same time, do the rules of dating apply when there’s magic soulmate bracelets involved? The universe basically said that there was no one better for each other, so what’s the harm in jumping the ship a little? Especially with Zarkon still out there destroying planets and what not; Their lives have the possibility of being cut short at any moment; tomorrow. What was that dumb saying? You only live once? Maybe he should consider the advice of a dead meme.

     He turned his attention back to Lance instead. His features went from neutral to being scrunched up like he was in pain and Keith reached out to rub his thumb over his cheekbones in concern. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d have to have woken Lance from a nightmare, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. When he didn’t wake at the touch however, Keith began to worry slightly. A small high pitched whimper fell from his lips before his whole body convulsed. Keith reached quickly to latch onto his arms and began shaking him slightly, saying his name with urgency. When he still didn’t stir Keith could say he officially started to panic. This was the most violent Keith had ever seen Lance get in his sleep. He only waited a moment more through another full bodied thrash before he practically shouted,

     “Layance!” He awoke with a start, pupils razor thin and breath rapid. He was frantically looking around before his eyes found Keith’s and he sagged. Keith didn’t have a chance to say anything before his lips were crushed in what could only be called a kiss of desperation. He pulled back only to find himself wrapped in a bone crushing hug. As he returned it, he could hear sniffles turn into full on sobs. Keith could only hold on and try to quell the genuine fear and confusion. From instinct he didn’t know he had, he simply held on and rocked Lance slightly, running his fingers through his hair and shushing him slightly. He didn’t know how long they were like that, but it was a while before Lance pulled back and rested their foreheads together. Keith simply watched and waited for him to speak. His voice was weak and shook from strain when he did.

     “I’ve had nightmares about losing all of you before, losing my families- but never just you because of mistakes I’ve made. Of mistakes I could make.” Keith sucked in a breath when Lance open his eyes and looked at him. “One misstep and your body was laying in front of me, broken and ripped to shreds. You looked at me with pure horror… I did that to you and I watched the light die from your eyes, nothing but pain and betrayal. I- I lost you-” Keith reached quickly and held his face in his hands.

     “You didn’t. I’m right here. I will always be right here.” Keith’s gentle words did little to stop the tears that slipped from his eyes as he shook slightly.

     “You don’t know that- you’re here right now, but one day, maybe even tomorrow, you could be gone and I-” He let out a hiccup as his tears returned full force. Keith could only look at him before his mouth formed a tight line of determination. It was like a light switch; like he had already made the decision and just he needed a little push to act on it.

     “No. I will _always_ be right here with you. For the rest of our lives.” Lance didn’t have a chance to respond before Keith was letting go and storming to the corner of the room. He didn’t spare a second glance as he undid the lock on the case and looked at the Divine Clasps. He only hesitated a moment, blown away by their beauty, before he reached in and took a hold of the one with inlaid sapphires. It practically sang in his touch and his determination didn’t lessen as he stood and turned to Lance. Lines of tears still tracked down making his face shimmer, but his expression had morphed into shock, his hand outstretched as if to try and pull him back.

     “I know I’d said that it would take me some time- and it turns out a week is all I need to decide with definitive positivity that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Layance, I-I love you. Have for a long time actually- and if this has proven anything to me, it’s that I will stop at nothing to make sure that you are safe. You are brave and loyal and fucking brilliant- You’re everything I’m not, my better half, and I certainly don’t need some stupid universe God bracelet to tell me that. But that doesn’t mean I won’t wear it with pride. You’re my Helio and I would happily let the universe burn if I let anything happen to you, especially if I could have prevented it.” Lance’s hands covered his mouth in shock as Keith rubbed his thumb over the looping lines with knowledge that wasn’t completely his own. The Clasp opened readily and he wasted no time wrapping it around his left wrist. He looked up at Lance with a smile as the lock clicked shut.

     “Oh Keith-” The words were barely a whisper from behind his hands before Lance was jumping up and running to tackle him, grabbing his waist and lifting Keith in a fairy tale spin. When he put him back down he got no time to process before their lips met in a disgustingly sweet kiss, salty with tears. When they broke Lance simply held Keith’s face in his hands.

     “I love you too, you big idiot. Way to outshine me with that fucking exclamation of love. How the hell am I supposed to top that?” Keith shifted slowly with a smile.

     “How about you put your fucking space bracelet on?” Lance just laughed before they turned and he gingerly lifted the other rose gold Clasp from the case. Their eyes met again before Lance’s smile grew and he opened it and slipped it on to his right wrist.

     The second that it locked shut was nothing like Keith had ever experienced. It was almost like he phased slightly out of his body and was watching from an outsider’s perspective, while still being fully conscious and aware of his body’s movement. The feeling was reminiscent of how it felt to shift; a part of the physical body changing separate from the mind. It was so gradual that it was almost unnoticeable, but at the same time it was like his body’s internal clock rewound itself. He felt younger, despite still feeling like he had lived his life thus far in correct passing. The Clasps were glowing slightly, ever so dim in the light of the room, and his skin felt warm from underneath. He couldn’t tell if Lance was feeling the same things he did, but Keith wagered perhaps not considering his life span hadn’t changed. It made Keith understand some of his actions more now though. He often acted like a child because he was still very much so. It was a freeing feeling.

     Clearly, however, this was only the start. Keith still felt slightly like he was being pulled taut, that his body wasn’t quite his. There was only a moment of hesitation before he started shifting into his Galra form and suddenly it was like the last missing piece that the Clasps needed to move on. Keith swore he could feel it snap into place before they both stumbled. The room exploded into a world of color and sound as their minds synced up. It was similar to the first time they connected with their lions, but at the same time, vastly different. Red never alluded to her feelings, if she had any, and always simply stuck to humming in the background to direct Keith, but this? He could _feel_ what Layance was feeling, like a second skin. Shock, awe, and so, _so much love._ It nearly brought Keith to tears. Keith knew that he was feeling similar and it was almost like their emotions fed off of each other, bouncing back and forth and weaving in and around the corners of his mind and body. It was like Keith hadn’t known before that there had always been a sort of void in the back of his mind and it had suddenly been filled with _Layance._ There was a different sort of shift that the small part of him that had still latched onto the human equivalent of Layance’s name dissolved and he stopped being Lance the Cuban boy from Earth and moved to Layance crown prince of the Boia-Sora. It was like the Clasps had taken half of their souls each and swapped them. Perhaps that’s exactly what happened.

     Keith was snapped back into his body from the weird astral projection and realized that this had all happened within a few seconds. His eyes moved back and forth between the Clasp now locked onto his wrist and Layance that stood similarly. It took another moment to reorganize his thoughts into realizing that he could feel the fear creeping up from him. He was quick to reassure that his stunned attitude was not out of regret, but of wonderment and its effect was instantaneous. Joy and love flooded his system and Keith could only grin, fangs and all. It was weird to feel the warmth of Layance’s hand in his and feel the warmth of appreciation in his mind. Weird, but not unwanted.

     “ _You know you’re stuck with me now for a thousand years~”_ Layance’s voice rang out in his mind. It was different from how it was on Sora however. There it felt like they were in a cave, echoing and ricocheting of the walls of his head. In Voltron it was like having 4 dogs yapping at once, their wings of speech filling the cave with noise. Here though it felt less like taking from across a cave and more like taking from the bottom of a locked closet. So close, but just far enough for breathing air. It also had a more calming way about it. Keith could tell it was like a private line. No Lions or Paladins could intercept.

     “ _I wouldn’t have it any other way. Though it’s going to be rough having to deal with your terrible attempts of flirting for eternity. ” _It was kind of trippy to hear Layance’s laugh out loud and in his head, but it was worth it. To see and feel Layance feel so genuinely happy made Keith’s chest swell with pride.

     Keith wasted no time moving to cup Layance’s face and wipe the remainder of his tears away, his thumb brushing over the scales there lightly. He could feel his appreciation and wasted no time capturing his lips. It was so much different from every other time they had kissed before because now he could feel _everything_. The love, the curiosity, the underlining beginnings of lust wavering in the background. He knew that Layance would only find the same feeling being projected from him. It was almost too much, and yet not enough. It didn’t take long for it to get heated understandably, and Keith was quick to direct his thoughts of getting them back to the bed. It was so amazing to be able to articulate his thoughts without having to try and verbally explain them. They instantly knew their own boundaries and just how far they were willing to go at the moment and there was no confusion or misunderstandings. For the first time in his life Keith felt like he had someone that could truly understand him and love him for all of his flaws. It was clear that Layance shared the sentiments as his thoughts were boomeranged back at him.

     They fell onto the mattress and mountain of blankets, a giggling mess. Keith was incredibly appreciative for this small miracle before whatever hellscape that awaited them tomorrow. It made him feel a little better that he would be able to keep tabs on his boyfriend throughout the fight. There were so many possibilities of things that could go wrong and unfortunately only time would tell. It was easy to prioritize now though; Layance and his teammates first and foremost. Zarkon would still be there if they didn’t manage to take him down this time. And what Allura seemed to forget that the empire wouldn’t just fall or disappear if they did kill him. There was still Haggar and her druids, not to mention the various loyal generals that still littered the universe. They would be fighting this battle for a while yet. It occurred to Keith that now Layance and himself would be responsible for Voltron long after the others are gone and it was a rather depressing thought. Layance seemed to catch onto his mood and simply pressed his lips to his forehead and wrapped his arms back around him.

“ _E nough of that. I’m certainly not getting any more sleep, but you need to get some rest. I’ll keep watch.” _Keith couldn’t argue with the soothing words that washed over him and he let out a sigh before closing his eyes. The last thing he remembered before he passed to blissful unconsciousness was the soft tones of a lullaby.

 

      When Keith awoke later he was groggy and was certainly not feeling up to doing anything. A certain sort of dread had settled in his stomach and pushed against his ribs. The worst part was he could sort of tell that not all of it was his own. Layance’s eyes were closed, but he was clearly awake. Keith didn’t blame him.

      “ _Hey, you alright? ” _Clearly, Keith’s voice startled Layance out of his thoughts as he jumped a little and his pupils narrowed before widening again. He sighed and looked to the ceiling of his room.

      “ _Would you blame me for saying no? I’m so nervous I could vomit. I know that all we’ve done for almost a year now is fight Galra in space, but somehow none of those battles hold a candle next to the fight that we’re about to have. Nothing has been so convoluted and complicated in terms of planning and that only serves for more things to go wrong. I’m fucking terrified. ” _Keith could only nod in understanding. He felt the same and he had no doubt that the rest of the Paladins probably felt similar. He just patted Layance on the chest and shifted as he got up.

      “Well, you know what the doctors always say right? A healthy meal is a healthy life. Let’s go get something to eat and regroup with Coran to see where we’re at.” Layance snorted as they started the walk to the kitchen.

      “Literally no doctor says that- and even if they did that is a blatant lie and doesn’t help us whatsoever in this situation.”

      “If your doctor didn’t tell you to eat healthy then they were a pretty shitty doctor.”

      “He was the assigned royal physician! You can’t get any more prestigious than that!”

      “Did he go to Yale? Harvard?”

      “Wha? No of course not you dumbass he has a fucking tail-”

      “Then he is, in fact, not the most prestigious, just the most qualified.”

      “Touché.”

      Their banter was not lost to the other occupants of the kitchen, who were completely lost to the subject of the conversation. Keith didn’t miss the look that Pidge sent to Hunk. He laughed to himself and Layance smiled at his amusement. Why was fucking with the people closest to you so entertaining? Food goo in hand they all hunkered down to eat, Keith exchanging different battle strategies and tips for certain maneuvers with Layance silently while Pidge and Hunk discussed upgrades. Keith thought it should probably be concerned with how easy it was to tune them out, but he couldn’t really find it in him to. He was far too pleased with the development of soulmate telepathy.

      Team Punk headed off to make sure everything with the Castle and the Lions was in perfect working order, while Team Laith headed for the main Olkarian tower to find Coran. It didn’t take long to find the eccentric Altean barking orders at Slav to get away from various sensitive material. He turned and spotted them and smiled ecstatically.  

      “Good afternoon Number 4, 3! Great news! The Teludav is almost complete! We’re just working out the last few kinks now!” Keith wouldn’t say definitely that he was disappointed, but he wasn’t exactly jumping with joy.

      “Great work Coran. We couldn’t have done it without you.” Layance’s voice was steady and appreciative, even if he was suddenly much more apprehensive on the inside. Coran nodded readily and was about to turn to continue his work when his eyes latched onto the Clasps. His face morphed into surprise before he was coming up and wrapping them in a huge hug. (Keith often forgot how strong all Alteans were…)

     “My goodness! Congratulations! I have only met a few Helio pairs in my lifetime, but it’s fantastic that the universe has matched you two together! I knew it from the second I met you two, really, it was fairly obvious- but that doesn’t dismiss this is a glorious occasion! Once we defeat Zarkon we should celebrate! Helio Parties are always a wild ride! I’ve gotten myself wrapped up into some nasty pranks that way!” The worry spiked in both of them and Keith was quick to try and be subtle enough.

     “Thank you really Coran, but if you could, uh, not tell the others about this for now? There’s just a lot going on right now and we don’t want to cause any unnecessary conversations.”

     “Yeah! We can totally have a Helio party, but we’ll tell you when we’re ready to have one- for now it’s our little secret.” Coran nodded at their words and winked, his arms draped over their shoulders.

     “It’s a shame that you already had the same lifespan between you, it’s always fun to watch as one of the pairs freak out about suddenly being gifted a few extra deca-phobes!”

     Keith and Layance shared a look as he laughed.


	22. Chapter 22: Do the lion shuffle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know I've said it before but I gotta say it again, Y'ALL ARE SO FUCKING NICE *cries in gay* I cant tell you what it means to be on break at like 2:30 am and see that there's all these nice comments from y'all telling me that you still like this train wreck almost a year after I started it (;-;) <3 that being said I'm so sorry this chapter is shit xD I had to add the hellscape that was the s2 finally and then the rest of the chapter is just fucking dialogue like what a shitty chapter I'm so sorry y'all, especially after all the nice comments,,,,,,,,,,, (#kill me) I added some steamy stuff at the end to make up for it, but its like a paragraph so- /useless/ (T-T)' I have more days off this week so maybe you'll finally get some quality shit....  
> -Enjoy!

     They Fucked Up. Well, in retrospect, they did complete their mission. They defeated Zarkon. But at the cost of Shiro, Keith wondered if it had really been worth it. Really, he wagered that he should have known something was up from the beginning when they hadn’t heard from Thace. But Keith couldn’t disagree with Allura; they were already ready to go. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. With Layance’s protests constant in the back of his mind with various waves of fear and promises to be safe, Keith set off to sneak on board while Shiro distracted Zarkon with the Black lion. Turns out that unless they were actively trying to talk to each other, Layance and Keith had their minds to themselves as they worked against the large Galran fleet. That and Keith was filled with a strange mix of nerves and determination. When he located the main control room he was distressed to find that the shield codes had been changed. Clearly this had been a trap; though how they knew about the plan was still a mystery. He told as much to Thace when he arrived and the plan changed to destroy the control room, turning the crystals of the power core into bombs. It was a suicide mission that Thace, much to Keith’s dismay, took full responsibility for. As they form Voltron and prepare to battle Zarkon head on, the control room blows and the power leaves his ship, Allura quickly opening the huge wormhole and sending them all through.

     Coran is quick to state that Allura is alright, despite no longer being conscious and with the okay, the Paladins quickly ready to fight Zarkon. But before they can even begin to think about him, Haggar and her druids forcefully ripped the Quintessence from Voltron leaving them to be sitting ducks. Layance’s frantic mental call is what wakes Keith up to Allura trying to fight Zarkon back and nearly taking the Castle out when he shot it back at her. Thankfully it’s just enough time for them to get their shit together and in a call of desperation, reawaken their lions and lead the charge against the Galra leader, despite Shiro being unresponsive. There’s no word from Allura or Kolivan as Zarkon manages to disband Voltron, the fear only growing. They were going to fail. The feeling is quelled, however, when Shiro returns, the Black lion charging with her large upgraded transcendent wings through Zarkon’s Ro-Beast armor and taking the black bayard from his hands. They get word from Allura that they lost Antok in the fight but the planet destroying Quintessence harvester had been destroyed and Shiro practically screams to form Voltron, Keith already ahead of him forming the sword to drive directly through Zarkon and destroying him. They disband only to horrifically find that Shiro had disappeared from Black.  The team is silent as they drag the empty and unresponsive lion back to the Castle and wormhole away.

     Layance’s hidden despair was the only thing keeping Keith from immediately flying back out to the scene of waste to continue his search. He would have been more fascinated with Layance’s lack of outward emotion if he wasn’t filled with anguish over the mysterious loss of his brother. Where had he gone? He was there and then he wasn’t; how did he even get out of his lion. _How was he kidnapped?_ In the aftermath all Keith could do was wonder, what now? Layance and Hunk had gone to help the people of Puiga and it wasn’t hard to make the decision to leave the bridge to seek solace in the bundles of Layance’s blankets. He had to give credit where credit was due though, because Layance could obviously feel his distress and despite his own grief and focus on his mission, sent so much love and understanding to Keith. He wouldn’t know where he would have been mentally without it to be honest. Layance was working constantly to sooth his anger towards the situation and trying his best to lift his spirits, even though his own outlook right now was just as dim. Though he had lived two hundred years longer than Keith had, he was still just as young and inexperienced as him; neither of them knew how to properly deal with the sudden loss of someone.

     It became evident at the meeting with the various leaders when they started repeatedly asking for Voltron. Keith had snapped at them, enraged suddenly at the blatant disregard for that fact that despite Shiro being missing, they demanded Voltron. He could feel the concern from Layance at his outburst, but he chose to ignore it and leave the meeting room as quickly as he could. He couldn’t take their judgmental and annoyed stares any longer. He didn’t slow even when Layance’s voice quietly pushed through his dark thoughts.

     “ _Keith, wait!_ _”_ He didn’t stop until he was standing on the far corner of the bridge, looking out at the endless expanse of space. Layance moved to stand by his side. For awhile they didn’t say anything, simply passing emotions from one other. Pain, anxiousness, frustration; but there was also acceptance and understanding that pushed through. When Keith finally was able to turn and look at Layance he was met with a bone crushing hug. By the time he was able to wrap his arms around and squeeze back, he could only bury his face into the crook of his neck to try and hide the tears. He hadn’t let himself cry because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop, but it was all he could do in the comfort of his Helio’s hold. He was so lost. He didn’t know what to do. Shiro was missing again and he couldn’t help but feel like it was his fault.

     “ _Hey, now you listen here to me. The fact that Shiro is missing isn’t your fault. It wasn’t the first time and it isn’t now. We will get him back. I swear on it.”_ Layance’s voice was calming, but it didn’t stop the tears that were soaking his under armor. His voice was tentative even in his mind when he spoke.

     “ _What are we going to do? They were right- we need Voltron, but without Shiro, how-”_ There was hesitation before Layance sighed and ran his fingers through Keith’s hair.

     “ _Until we can find Shiro we’re going to have to find someone to pilot the Black lion temporarily. But finding a paladin isn’t easy, even a substitute one.”_ Keith wanted to be angry, he really did; to fall back on old habits. But instead all he could do was cringe uncomfortably at the thought. He didn’t want to face the music so to speak, but he was the one that Shiro had wanted to take Black- hell he had even piloted her briefly.

     “ _I didn’t tell anyone, but when we were worm holed to random places in the Galaxies- Shiro really thought he was going to die on that planet… and he told me that he wanted me to pilot Black if anything ever happened to him. I didn’t want to think about Shiro somehow not being able to do it- but now…. Layance I don’t want to lead Voltron. I don’t think I can do it. I- I’m not a good leader. I charge into things too quickly and I know nothing about directing y’all- I’m scared, Layance, I’m so scared.”_ his breath had turned to hiccups as Layance pulled back and grabbed his face in his hands, a serious look on his face. Keith was suddenly hit with an overwhelmingly strong wave of love and admiration.

     “Keith. It’s okay to be scared. I’m scared. Hell, the whole team is scared. Shiro is missing. It’s not something to be taken lightly; even if the other seem like they are. It’s alright. You aren’t Shiro- no one can replace him. And you aren’t going to be a perfect leader either. No one is right off the bat. But we need someone who can be strong for the others and you knew Shiro the best. Whether you know it or not, Shiro taught you how to make the right decisions and I can definitively say without a doubt that I wouldn’t want anyone else lead Voltron until we can find Shiro again. I can say that as your soul and as your fellow paladin. I don’t want to say it, but I will. If Shiro wanted you to pilot Black, then it is your duty to do that for him until we can find him. You're not alone anymore. You can do this; We can do this. Together.” Layance wiped the last remainders of the tears that had escaped during his little impromptu speech. Keith could only nod and wasted no time reaching out for another hug. He used to hate them, but now it was all he wanted. Layance placed a soft kiss on the top of his head.

     “Thank you, Layance. For everything you’ve done for me. Really.” Keith could feel his smile.

     “The pleasure is all mine.” He pulled back again enough to look Keith in the eyes. “ _I love you.”_ And as Keith looked into the bright blue eyes alight with truth, he smiled for the first time since before the battle.

     “ _I love you too.”_ They didn’t get to say anything else before footsteps drew them out of their heads and towards the door. Pidge stood with a distraught look on her face.

     “Hey, we’re meeting in the lounge to try and figure out what we’re going to do.” They nodded and followed. Even if they had already figured out the only option they really had, Keith still wanted to hear their suggestions. If they had any other ideas he was more than willing to hear it.

     Everyone’s posture in the lounge was deceptively relaxed. They were understandably tense after the rocky end to the diplomatic meeting. If they still wanted to help with the alliance after that whole experience Keith would be impressed with Allura’s damage control. At the same time, he wasn’t going to apologize for what he said; he had meant it. He leaned up against the wall as Layance flopped onto the couch. The fact that no one spoke up made Keith want to leave immediately, but one look from Layance had him sighing. Allura must have taken it as her cue.

     “I know that this isn’t going to be easy, but we need to find a paladin for the Black lion and quickly. The more time passes that we don’t have Voltron, the more doubt grows and the Galra empire gains control again.” Keith didn’t miss the uncertainty that filtered through the other Paladins gazes.

     “But Princess, how do we do that? It was all pure coincidence that we managed to all be paladin material the first time around, but we don’t have the time to traverse the universe looking for a worthy Paladin right now.” Pidge was quiet, voicing their inner thoughts.

     “ _Keith, seriously, I’m dying. Please just speak up. I’m begging you.”_

     “ _Just wait I want to see how this pans out-”_

     “ _Keeeeeeeeiiiiiiithhhhhhhh- ” _

     “ _Shh.”_

     “You are correct. We don’t have time for that. So we start here; the lion will know. We will all have to try to connect.” Keith had to stop himself from groaning out loud as his head filled with laughter.

     “Even you, Princess?” Coran’s parental side appearing front and center.

     “My father built the lions, it would be hypocritical of me to not be willing to become a Paladin. This is my battle too.”  Keith had to give her props for being noble enough to try and join the fight. Most leaders on Earth wouldn’t have the same opinion. They all looked towards to Keith, expecting another outburst. He ignored them and pushed off the wall.

    “Let’s go then; nothing’s getting done sitting around here.”

    “Wait really? You’re okay with this plan no protest?” Keith tried not to let his eyebrow twitch in irritation at Hunk’s probing. Sometimes they knew just what buttons to push, didn’t they.

     “No. I’m not okay with it. Obviously. But Allura’s right. Until we can find Shiro, we can’t be floundering around. Zarkon was just the beginning- we need Voltron. And I- I’m not going to waste time anymore being the devil’s advocate.” He smiled to himself as he felt the praise from Layance. It only grew when he hopped up to join him walk towards the hanger.

     “I call first dibs then! I’m going to be the best leader ever!”

     “What no way! I’m not having a goofball like you lead us anywhere!”

     “What the fuck Pidge? I’m not a goofball!”

     “What you gunna do about it bitch? It’s the truth-”

     “Hey watch your language you two!”

     “Shut up Hunk!”

     Keith could only laugh quietly. It still wasn’t okay, but they had each other and as long as they had that, they would make it. The bickering continued all the way to the hanger, even Allura chiming in some times to tell them to stop. Keith was almost distracted enough to be surprised to hear Layance’s voice again.

    “ _So are you going to let everybody have a turn before you take up position as the substitute Black Paladin?”_

_“ I can still hope it’s not me, right?” _

_“ Fair enough. Can’t say I blame you.” _

    It was rather amusing to watch Hunk barely sit down and Pidge try for 15 minutes to figure out if there was a way to adjust the seat. Lance ended up sitting in there for longer because he was too busy talking to Keith. (Apparently the second he sat down he knew it wasn’t him and they got into the discussion of if the connection to their lions was like a Soul bond.) Keith thought Allura had had a fair chance, but it wasn’t her and he had to sigh internally. With a nudge from Layance he was now sitting in the cockpit of the Black lion. He hated that he could feel exactly what Layance had been talking about, but the opposite. Sitting here felt oddly right. Not quite like how it was to sit in Red, like Black wasn’t quite sure about him but she was willing to give it a shot for now. He felt out for Red and She sent a purr back before withdrawing and severing their connection. It was slightly jarring before Black’s essence suddenly surged in. where Red had been burning with intensity and drive, Black was cackling with energy and push. It was a little overwhelming. He could feel Layance’s awe in the back of his mind as she righted herself and gave a small wave of hello before kicking him out to recharge. The nervous faces of his teammates was answer enough and he looked to his boyfriend who simply walked up to place a hand on his shoulder.

    “I meant what I said earlier. I’ll follow you anywhere and I know you’ll do a great job leading Voltron until we can find Shiro.” mentally he added, “ _Pretend that this weird shoulder pat is me giving you a congratulatory kiss for still being better than me at everything.”_ Keith’s scoff of laughter was enough to make Layance smile wide and that was more of a reward than anything else.

     “So what now leader?” Keith had to cringe slightly at Hunk’s nickname. Man he hated that.

     “Well I may be flying Black now, but we’ve run into the same issue now that Red doesn’t have a pilot.” They all groaned. Round two. They all made the trek to the Red lion’s hanger to repeat the process all over again. Keith could tell that Allura was getting anxious, especially when she came out a second time empty handed. Hunk wouldn’t even go near Red and Pidge stated that she quote, “Felt unwelcome.” which left Layance, who was nervously shifting from one foot to another.

     “ _What’s wrong? You look like someone is forcing you to eat a pound of unseasoned food goo.”_ Layance gave him a very unimpressed glare.

     “ _I- Blue and I have a thing yanno? Water and all that stuff… Red is well the opposite of me. And I know that you’ve got Black now, but it kinda feels like stealing. Plus I’ve been in her before and I don’t think she likes me very much- ” _

_“ Oh trust me, she likes you very much. The lions all talk to each other. You’re a hot topic merman. And it’s not stealing because the lions don’t belong to anyone but themselves. If you’re impulsive enough she’ll let you fly. She just wants to have fun. Go. Just try for me.” _

_“ Well how the hell am I supposed to say no when you ask so nicely. Damn you.”  _

_“ Good to know you’re as whipped for me as I am for you-” _

_“ Who taught you that word?! You’re not allowed to say that ever again!” _

_“ Who do you fucking think? Now, stop stalling.” _

     Layance grumpily shoved him and made his way towards the lion. Keith waited and smiled at his surprise when Red powered up. When Layance made his way out, Keith tossed his bayard at him. He was sure the others didn’t notice, but his pupils narrowed at him as he caught it.

    “You knew she was going to pick me didn’t you?”

    “Guilty. Something about Helios and better halves and whatnot.”

    “Asshole.” Keith just laughed before sighing.

     “Come on guys one more time.” Pidge threw her arms up in frustration and Hunk straight up just left claiming that Yellow and him had a bond that could never be broken. It ended up being just Keith and Layance watching as Allura tried for a third time to connect to one of her father’s lions.

    “ _Blue’s gunna let her. She’s too nice not too.”_

_" Oh for sure.” _

     It was less than a minute before blue powered up and Allura came out, all smiles. Layance handed his bayard over and gave her a shoulder pat of support. The action seemed to confuse her a little, but she thanked him nonetheless. With the lion shuffle finally over, Keith motioned for Layance to follow him to the training room. They needed to run some team trials. It was halfway through a defense stage when Keith decided to ask.

     “After all that shameless flirting Allura is going to be confused in your sudden shift in character towards her- what are you going to do to fix that?”

     “On your left! Shit dude I don’t know- if she asks I guess I can just say I gave up, or that I never really meant it like that- it was just the best way I know how to get people to be my friend. Which is true!”

     “Duck! I guess that’s fair. I’m sure she’ll like you more now that you cut out the shitty one liners!”

     “Yeah unfortunately for you they’re all coming your way now! Switch with me!”

     “I will stab you if you try that shit- move you’re going to get hit!”

     “Sorry I was too busy wondering if you’re Greek!”

     “What?”

     “Cuz baby, you be lookin’ as fine as a god right now~”

     “Goddamnit Layance-” Keith was flustered enough to miss a block and they both went down. They star-fished on the training room floor and it was only a few huffs before they were both breaking down into hysterics.

     “That was literally the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

     “Ae now, but it got you all giggly so mission accomplished!”

     “What exactly was your mission? Were you trying to get us to fail?!”

     “100%” His smile was devious. “Mainly so I could do this-” Keith didn’t have anytime to process before Layance was planting a big ol’ smack on the lips. He slapped his shoulder.

    “You idiot what if someone sees?” Layance’s ocean blue eyes sparkled as his pupil narrowed to a slit.

    “Fuck them. I want to kiss you and tell you how hot you are when you fight. Your swordsmanship is something out of an erotica.” Keith could only stare as he was hit with the sincerity and pure unfiltered _lust._ He let out a very embarrassing noise when Layance climbed on top of him and drew him in for a heated open mouth kiss. Out of the places that they had made out this was probably the grossest so; the training room floor covered in broken sentry parts, their bodies wet with crystallizing sweat. Layance’s fingers found themselves tangling in the messy strands of his hair as Keith’s hands found the bare skin of his hips. He gripped where he now knew the hidden connection point was and pressed until he felt some of the scales flair out in response. Layance shuddered at the feeling and broke the kiss with deep breaths and hid his face in the crook of Keith’s neck in embarrassment. Keith kept rubbing the skin and scales there. He probably would have started reciting some soppy poem if the warning alarm started going off. Layance’s groan was answer enough to how he felt about that. Keith sent him a rather filthy sentence before pushing him off to grab his bayard and get up to go. When he looked back Layance was looking at him with his mouth wide open and a cherry red blush. As they ran for their new respected hangers Keith was left with one final offended,

     “ _I'll get you back for that Kogane!” _


End file.
